The recent expansion of the Gales Creek Preserve is the first conservation project to meet the criteria of the fund created earlier this year as a result of a $7 million settlement between North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Sierra Club over the state’s proposed U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass through the National Forest. Photo: Contributed

Efforts include work at Site X of the Lost Colony in Bertie County and preserving thousands of acres near Lake Waccamaw in the south. More recently, the organization turned its attention to the central coast with two acquisitions, one using funds from the North Carolina Department of Transportation to purchase land near the Croatan National Forest and another adding acres to the Brice’s Creek preserve.

“The two properties aren’t really related, except that this will be an area of focus for the next 12-36 months,” said Camilla Herlevich of Wilmington, executive director of the Coastal Land Trust. “And we are very excited about this first use of settlement funds.”

Rare Habitat

As soon as news spread about the preferred route for the long-planned U.S. 70 bypass of Havelock through a protected forest that’s habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, members of the Croatan Group of the North Carolina Sierra Club began to fight the project. It was an effort that lasted years, said Cassie Gavin, director of government relations for the organization’s North Carolina chapter. The Sierra Club filed a federal lawsuit in 2016.

The red-cockaded woodpecker is an endangered species. Photo: Sam Bland

The Sierra Club reached a $7.3 million settlement earlier this year with NCDOT, and in turn reached out to the Coastal Land Trust to explore possibilities for preservation that would make the most strategic sense.

“The goal is to protect the land and water,” Gavin said, adding that working with the Coastal Land Trust in this regard was a good fit. “Longleaf pine forests used to be all over the Southeast, and now they are a rare habitat. We’re excited about conservation possibilities.”

Adding to the excitement is that news of this first acquisition in the area came just months after the settlement was announced.

“This happened quickly because we’ve been looking at this area for a long time,” Herlevich said. “We just didn’t have the money to purchase it.”

When the property was listed for sale as part of a larger tract with commercial frontage on N.C. 24, the Coastal Land Trust was able to make an offer to the seller, Talton Enterprises.

“One of the great things about having access to these funds is that we can act in the real estate market,” Herlevich said.

Using part of the settlement, and a private grant from Fred and Alice Stanback, the organization purchased a 113-acre tract of longleaf pine forest, pocosin wetlands and about a half mile of frontage along Gales Creek, which empties into Bogue Sound near Newport. The land adds to the organization’s Gales Creek Nature Preserve and abuts a portion of the Croatan National Forest in Carteret County.

“It’s the first time in 26 years that we’ve been able to do this with the national forest,” Herlevich said.

While the area is important for a number of reasons, preservation of scenic ecosystems isn’t always the main goal.

“Another reason to save land is to help carry out certain management regimes,” Herlevich said. “That’s the case here.”

The land is strategically located to make it easier to carry out the necessary prescribed burns to maintain and restore important habitat, said Janice Allen, Coastal Land Trust deputy director in New Bern.

Other provisions of the settlement call for NCDOT to employ a conservation easement, that the department use environmental practices during construction, which is scheduled to begin in early 2019, and that they close the bypass for these burns, when asked by the U.S. Forest Service.

With this addition, the Gales Creek Preserve totals more than 360 acres, and adds to the other thousands of acres the group has protected in the area along Mill Creek, Turnagain Bay and Long Bay, and at Brown’s Island and near Core Creek.

Craven County Preserve Expanded

The Land Trust also recently announced the purchased 37 acres that will be added to its Brice’s Creek Preserve in New Bern, which now totals more than 60 acres.

With the purchase of 37 acres, the expanded Coastal Land Trust’s Brice’s Creek Nature Preserve now totals more than 60 acres in Craven County near James City. Photo: Contributed

“This is a little oasis,” Herlevich said. “It could easily have been developed, and the lands all around there are being developed.”

The area offers a haven for wildlife, floodplain protection along the creek for the community, and stands of bottomland hardwood, Allen said.

The group bought the property from Overlook Holdings LLC, the owners and developers of Carolina Colours, a residential community next to the preserve. Funds for the purchase were provided by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and donations from the members of the Land Trust.

“It’s not a large piece of land, but it is beautiful,” Herlevich said.

“Right now, there are no plans for the area to be open to the public. Some of what we do is banking land for the future,” she said. “It becomes more valuable over time.”

Looking Ahead

“This will be an important area for our work for the next few years,” Herlevich said of central North Carolina.

With the mandate to preserve habitat and ecosystems about the Croatan National Forest, the organization is compiling a kind of wish list. And as news spread about the funds, landowners are also reaching out to the Land Trust.

“I’m sure we will have more big announcements ahead,” she said.

]]>Trust Awards $250,000 for Cedar Point Parkhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/trust-awards-250000-for-cedar-point-park/
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 05:00:39 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34239The Coastal Land Trust recently awarded Cedar Point a $250,000 grant to help the Carteret County town purchase a $2.8 million, 56-acre tract for a park and conservation area.]]>

This graphic shows the 56-acre parcel of land Cedar Point plans to turn into the town’s first park. Graphic: Contributed

CEDAR POINT – The town is $250,000 closer to its first park, a 56-acre parcel of land, 18 of which are wetlands, on the White Oak River.

Town Commissioner John Nash announced Dec. 11 via Twitter that the town had received a grant award of $250,000 from Coastal Land Trust to go toward the park land purchase.

The Town of Cedar Point is excited to announce our grant award of $250,000 from Coastal Land Trust! This grant money will go towards the park land purchase. #CedarPointNC#TownHall

Town voters approved on Election Day a bond referendum of $2.5 million to pay for most of the $2.8 million needed for the land, also known as the Masonic property, to be the town’s first park. The town is to contribute $300,000 from its general fund.

“We are certainly ecstatic that the Board of Directors for the Coastal Land Trust chose to help fund this acquisition project,” Chris Seaberg, town administrator for Cedar Point, responded to Coastal Review Online in an email, adding that the money would be used to offset part of the purchase costs. “We are also pursuing grants from both the Clean Water Trust Fund and the Park and Recreation Trust Fund.”

In addition to providing a setting for passive recreation such as wildlife viewing, walking, biking and canoeing, the purchase will conserve estuarine marsh and maritime forest.

Janice Allen, deputy director for the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, said Cedar Point was chosen because the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service had made a North American Wetlands Conservation Act, or NAWCA, grant to the Coastal Land Trust to be used for protection of coastal wetlands. This project meets the Coastal Land Trust’s conservation criteria as it protects important coastal wetlands and maritime forest adjacent to existing conservation lands, a portion of the Croatan National Forest.

“A Pender County project we’d planned to use part of it for fell through, and, at the same time we were contacted by the town, which asked if we could assist in any way,” Allen explained. “We were fortunate to be able to reallocate the grant to this project, which has excellent coastal wetlands, and it also met the Coastal Land Trust’s project selection guidelines. This is a very, very unusual situation, as we don’t generally have such grant funds available, so we were glad it worked out.”

Allen said that the Coastal Land Trust asked the town to sign an agreement to ensure all Fish and Wildlife Service requirements related to the purchase were followed.

“One requirement is for the town to record a Notice of Grant Restrictions which essentially identifies that some federal NAWCA funds were used to purchase the property and provides that if the Town were to sell or transfer the property out of conservation for a park (e.g., for residential or commercial development), the USFWS may request their proportional share back,” she said.

The plans Cedar Point has for the land falls in line with Coastal Land Trust’s goals, Allen added.

“The Coastal Land Trust is very interested in connecting people to nature and has worked with several local governments to create parks for people to enjoy nature,” she continued, for example, “We purchased the 132-acre property along Upper Broad Creek near New Bern and donated it to Craven County and it is now the Latham-Whitehurst Nature Park. We also acquired a 911-acre property along Town Creek and donated it to Brunswick County to become their first ever nature park, and we assisted the City of Havelock with funds to help acquire parcels along Slocum Creek for their Slocum Creek Waterfront Access Park.”

]]>Weather Delays New Bonner Bridge Openinghttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/weather-delays-new-bonner-bridge-opening/
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 14:39:21 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34256Foul weather in recent weeks has pushed back the opening of the Bonner Bridge replacement from the originally scheduled January 2019 to February or March.]]>

Due to a pattern of bad weather and storms throughout the fall season, the opening of the new Bonner Bridge has been delayed from the originally scheduled January 2019 to February or March of 2019.

The Bonner Bridge, left, is shown next to its replacement that’s under construction. Photo: NCDOT

Though the bridge is complete and fully intact, crews are still working on the finishing touches to allow vehicles on the structure.

“The main thing that has (delayed the opening) has been the weather,” said Tim Haas, a North Carolina Department of Transportation spokesman. “Over the fall we had a lot of regular rain, and then two major storms, and that tends to delay things – especially at the end of a project like this.

“Even though the structure itself is done, there’s a lot of little work that has to be completed before we can open it to traffic,” he added, noting that both electric lines and internet cables are in the process of being moved from the old bridge to the new bridge as well. “Lots of things have to be finished before we can put cars on it.”

Once the bridge is complete, it may open in one-lane stages. For example, one direction of traffic will be directed to the new bridge while the other lane is worked on, while traffic in the opposite direction, north or south, will be directed to the old bridge.

“There are still a lot of details on the opening to be determined, like if we can open both lanes at the same time, or open one lane first, and then the other,” said Haas.

Project managers are also in the process of orchestrating the grand opening celebration, and the specifics of the official ribbon cutting ceremony and related events will be forthcoming.

Once the new bridge is finished, crews will get to work removing the old Bonner Bridge just east of the new site, leaving behind 1,000 feet of the existing structure at the southern end. This portion of the old bridge will remain in place and will be open for pedestrians and fishermen, and the rail will be updated to be more pedestrian-friendly and safer.

The project in its entirety is set to be completed by the end of 2019, which includes about 10 months for the demolition of the original bridge. The project began with a groundbreaking in March of 2016, and has remained relatively on schedule throughout the duration of the construction.

WILMINGTON — Having worked in the mining industry around the world, I know firsthand both the potential benefits and almost certain liabilities that mining activities can have on local and regional communities. The oil industry is no exception and is particularly known for making glowing promises of jobs and other economic development opportunities to local and regional civic leaders only to have these specious vows fail to materialize into any meaningful benefit. Our own community of Wilmington understands all too well what happens when we place our civic trust in corporations who promise they will do no harm, when in fact they are knowingly poisoning our air and water supplies.

R. Bruce Holsten

After spending years in this industry, I have learned that the inherent risks to the environment and general populace from mining operations – as small as a sand mine and as large as an oil drilling initiative – far outweigh any purported direct or indirect economic benefits that may have been promised. With the exclusion of any future royalty payments for oil and gas extracted from their coastal waters, the only real benefits will flow to the already heavily subsidized oil and gas industry.

In its recent authorization to allow seismic air gun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey to Florida, the Trump Administration has willfully ignored the critical 2017 decision by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that concluded “… the value of obtaining the geophysical and geological information from new air gun seismic surveys in the Atlantic does not outweigh the potential risks of those surveys …” It has also willfully ignored comments made by every East Coast governor save one, Republican and Democrat alike, who have publicly opposed seismic testing and oil exploration off their coasts; it ignored the years of scientific assessment and hundreds of thousands of public comments that led to the original moratorium on any offshore oil exploration in the Atlantic. And it ignored me, along with representatives of 42,000 other businesses along the East Coast who have publicly opposed oil exploration in the Atlantic.

The opposition to offshore oil exploration is widespread and includes more than 500,000 fishing families from Florida to Maine, along with the Pacific, North Pacific, New England, South Atlantic, and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. And even NASA, the Department of Defense, and the Florida Defense Support Task Force have expressed significant concerns that expanded offshore oil and gas development may threaten their ability to perform critical activities or in respect to the DoD, even safely protect the security interests of the United States.

Beyond the mass of opposition, the argument boils down to the simplest measure of good business: discerning the levels of supply and demand of a commodity. The overly active lobbying arm of the oil and gas industry claims we need this oil to maintain reserves amid unrest in the Middle East and to keep gas prices manageable. In reality, U.S. oil production is set to hit a record 11 million barrels a day by 2019, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And the majority of our imported oil comes from Canada – not the Middle East. Moreover, the industry itself is not even buying proven lease blocks that have already been identified. At a March 2018 auction in the Gulf, said to be the largest lease sale of oil and gas blocks in history, less than 1 percent of the blocks offered were bid upon. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke said this sale would be a ‘bellwether’ for what to expect going forward.

Finally, business leaders like myself around the globe are waking to the simple reality that we can no longer ignore the clear and present threats from global climate change. The report released in October by the United Nation’s science panel warns that to avoid catastrophic consequences to life and property, which they estimate may cost as much as $54 trillion, we must transform the world economy at a speed and scale that has “no documented historic precedent.” And while this may require that we modify our personal and business reliance on fossil fuels, an obligatory step in this transformation is to leave any and all potential fossil fuel reserves in the ground.

This issue hits particularly close to home for our region. Climate change has and will continue to increase the intensity and frequency of storms like Hurricane Florence, which brought enough rain to be categorized as a 1000-year flood event; to match the 1000-year flood event we experienced in 1997 with Hurricane Fran. And it was just two years ago that we experienced a 500-year flood event when Hurricane Matthew swept through. Economic losses from both recent hurricanes are estimated to reach nearly $60 billion.

Business and community leaders recognize that the smart money is on renewable energy now. And it’s time that we demand our energy companies, our business communities and state governments invest in those renewable resources and infrastructure that will not only create new, safe jobs for our region, but will also pose no threat to our current businesses, our quality-of-life, nor our children’s future.

Graphic: Courtesy Dana Sargent, president, Cape Fear River Watch

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review Online welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues. See our guidelines for submitting guest columns. The opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review Online or the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

]]>Australian Team Tests Seismic Effectshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/australian-team-tests-seismic-effects/
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 21:29:18 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34250Researchers at the Australian Institute of Marine Science have conducted what they’re calling the first real-world seismic experiment to determine the effects of marine noise on fish and oysters. Using the seismic vessel the BGP Explorer, the researchers surveyed two sites off the northwest of Western Australia over the course of 10 days. The collaborative experiment involving more than 100 people took a year to design and coordinate and could provide answers on the effects of marine noise.

]]>Climate Change Council to Meet Wednesdayhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/climate-change-council-to-meet-wednesday/
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 15:39:02 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34231The N.C. Climate Change Interagency Council , which includes representatives from every state executive agency, is scheduled to hold its first meeting Wednesday in Raleigh.]]>

Watch the the first meeting of the N.C. Climate Change Interagency Council, as it is live-streamed Wednesday.

OCEAN ISLE BEACH — Work is set to begin this week on developing various initiatives that are part of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Oct. 29 executive order committing the state to a clean energy economy and establishing the North Carolina Climate Change Interagency Council.

The council, which includes representatives from every state executive agency, is scheduled to meet Wednesday in Raleigh.

Sheila Holman, state Department of Environmental Quality assistant secretary, briefed the Coastal Resources Commission on Cooper’s plans during its meeting in November in Ocean Isle Beach.

Cooper’s executive order commits the state to combat climate change and transition to a clean energy economy and will look at greenhouse gas emissions.

“One of the purposes was to support the 2015 Paris agreement goals and honor the state’s commitment to the United States Climate Alliance,” Holman said.

DEQ will have the responsibility of carrying out many of the requirements of the executive order, including leading the council, Holman added.

“The Coastal Resources Commission is responsible for adopting policies on coastal issues and addressing key challenges like climate change,” Holman told Coastal Review Online. “As such, it’s important to share updates on DEQ’s work and obtain the commission’s insight and expertise, as we partner to protect North Carolina’s coastal resources.”

During the meeting, each agency is to discuss how climate change is affecting its programs and operations, according to the agenda.

The meeting, which will be held in the William G. Ross Environmental Conference Center, 121 West Jones St., Raleigh, is open to the public. During the meeting, there will be an opportunity for public comment from individuals and organizations who want to provide input to cabinet agencies on their implementation of the Executive Order. Comments will be limited to two minutes and speakers will have the opportunity to sign up for speaking time when they arrive at the meeting.

Learn More

]]>Mattamuskeet Plan Awaits State Approvalhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/mattamuskeet-plan-awaits-state-approval/
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 05:00:48 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34189The Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed Restoration Plan, which was 18 months in development, has been submitted for final approval by the state Division of Water Quality.]]>

Randall Etheridge with East Carolina University explains the flow reduction in Lake Mattamuskeet during the Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed Restoration Plan public symposium Dec. 3 in Englehard. Photo: Jennifer Allen

Once the state Division of Water Quality 319 Grant Program approves this plan, which was created to improve the habitats and water quality of the lake, the centerpiece of the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge in Hyde County, stakeholders will be able to move forward with securing 319 grant funding that can then be used to implement the steps identified in the plan.

Originally 110,00 acres and 6 to 9 feet deep, the now 40,000-acre, 2 to 3 feet deep lake is the largest naturally formed in the state but, due to 200 years of hydrologic modification, is no longer considered a natural lake. In 2016, the lake was listed as an impaired waterbody on the state 303(d) list because of high levels of chlorophyll-a and alkalinity. Additionally, the lake in the last few years has lost all submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, a food source for waterfowl and habitat for fish.

Flooding is another issue in the watershed due to a passive drainage system that has been compromised by rising sea level. There are four major outlet canals that were excavated before 1950 to move water from the lake to the Pamlico Sound, according to the restoration plan. “Each of the canals have a set of tide gates that operates on differences in head pressure to ensure Lake Mattamuskeet remains a freshwater system by preventing saltwater intrusion from the Pamlico Sound. Rising sea levels and siltation of the main canals connecting the lake to the Pamlico Sound are thought to be contributing factors in the decline of drainage function, and those conditions are anticipated to exacerbate flooding in the future.”

During the 18-month drafting process, Hyde County, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and other stakeholders identified three goals for the plan, which are to protect the way of life in Hyde County, actively manage the lake water level and restore water quality and clarity. The stakeholders identified six objectives and several actions to reach these three goals.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation, which prepared the plan, led a public symposium Dec. 3 to present the final draft.

The planning development process began in May 2017, and since then there have been five public meetings and 14 stakeholder meetings. A draft of the plan became available Oct. 16 and the final, 200-page document available on the federation’s website.

“We all came together to see if we could figure out a path forward to improve the lake and conditions around the lake … we have a vision for where we are going and we’ve identified some key steps to move forward.”

— Bill Rich, Consultant, Hyde County Economic Development

Bill Rich, Hyde County Economic Development consultant, explained to the about 100 gathered for the plan’s unveiling in Martelle’s Feed House Restaurant that Lake Mattamaskeet is “important to us for many reasons,” including serving as the centerpiece of the county, playing a vital role in the county’s recreation, namely birding and hunting, tourism, “and is also the blood of Mattamuskeet Lodge. Without a healthy lake we do not have a healthy lodge.”

Rich said that a diverse group teamed up to write the plan. “We all came together to see if we could figure out a path forward to improve the lake and conditions around the lake … we have a vision for where we are going and we’ve identified some key steps to move forward.”

Erin Fleckenstein, coastal scientist and northeast regional office manager for the federation, explained that during the planning and development process, there were many concerns about the lake, watershed, agricultural and residential property flooding, the loss of SAV in the lake, “which is an important indicator of the health of the lake,” and water quality parameters tested in the lake.

Erin Fleckenstein

“The levels of pH and chlorophyll-a in the lake are higher than the state standard for them. We also had concerns about elevated nutrient levels of nitrogen and phosphorus,” Fleckenstein said. “The elevated pH and chlorophyll-a is what caused the lake to be listed on what is called the 303(d) list for impaired waterways, that means the lake is not meeting its current use standards and steps need to be taken to make sure it can be returned back to its health.”

Michael Flynn, coastal advocate in the federation’s northeast office, said that there’s no active management at the lake, which has contributed to the flooding of private property, extended septic tank use interruptions and inadequate croplands drainage. There is turbid and hypereutrophic, or extremely nutrient-rich water, SAV has been documented as absent since 2017, plus there’s an abundance of common carp, an invasive species.

Flynn told the crowd that the stakeholders came to the conclusion that active water management within the watershed is a top priority.

“We want to see active water management that addresses the lake level. Helping to manage water throughout the watershed would result in less-frequent flooding of residential property and fewer septic system failures and adequate drainage of croplands will be available,” he said. “We’d like to see it move from turbid and hypereutrophic to clear and mesotrophic, have the right amount of nutrients to support the habitat that’s desired, see an increase of SAV along the lakebed and emerging vegetation along the lakeshore, reduction in common carp population … and ultimately, removal of the lake from the NC 303(d) list of impaired waters.”

One priority action listed in the plan is to create a formal body that provides managing authority for active water management within the watershed in close coordination with the refuge, Flynn said. Another priority action is to perform a hydrologic study of the watershed to get a better idea of how the water should be managed.

To transition from the study to designing plans for active water management would help identify what infrastructure improvements would be needed, he added.

Wendy Stanton, terrestrial ecologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said that one of the purposes of the refuge is to protect and conserve migratory birds, especially waterfowl, and other wildlife resources, through the protection of wetlands in the lake.

The splendor of the lake was the SAV, she said, “There were massive mats of SAV in the lake and that provided important habitat for waterfowl and fish and many other species.” Now, the current condition of the lake is turbid, unclear water with the SAV pretty much completely disappeared, dominated by cyanobacteria and other phytoplankton.

“In summary, we have excessive nutrients in the lake, we have lost our SAV, but on the bright side, we have this whole group here under the leadership of the federation and great partnerships to try to restore the SAV and improve water quality in the lake and help our adjacent communities,” Stanton said.

April Lamb, graduate student at North Carolina State University, explained that she was evaluating the feasibility of removing the invasive common carp introduced mid-19th century, as well as the potential for a vegetation restoration project to get SAV back in the lake.

As part of her project, about 140 acres of the lake has been sectioned off that around 3,200 carp will be relocated from, and monitor water quality changes. Alongside the carp removal process and monitoring to see how carp are impacting the system, wild celery and white water lily will be planted and caged to prevent carp and turtles from grazing on the new plants.

Randall Etheridge in the agricultural and ecological engineering department at East Carolina University said that he is still working on data collected about the waterfowl impoundments’ potential impact on lake water quality, but “to summarize what we know so far, waterfowl impoundments, no matter what type, at least from what we’ve seen, are contributing nutrients and sediments to the lake.”

Etheridge also studied the canals in the lake and discovered that the insides of the canal pipes are filled with sediment, and that along with sea level rise, are causing the reduction of flow. Another factor is the tide driven by water levels in Pamlico Sound.

Pete Campbell, refuge manager, reminded the audience that Lake Mattamuskeet is the premier waterfowl refuge on the Atlantic Flyway, but is also important to Hyde County and the waterfowl community, which depends on birds being at the lake.

“The visitation has really gone through the roof at the refuge in the last five to 10 years,” he said, adding the waterfowl counts are very high. “Up until a point it could change, we don’t want that to change. Therefore, we are committed with working with our partners not to put this on the shelf but to move forward with it and to exhaust every opportunity to acquire necessary resources to make this thing happen.”

He added that everyone realizes the lake didn’t get in this condition overnight and will not return to its normal condition overnight.

With reports of the effect of sea level rise and climate change in the area from 2050 to 2100, Campbell said he knows the county has been looking at resiliency actions and what looking at what the communities can do to prepare for those conditions. “And we can do the same in the watershed but sooner than later, we can only do so much and we have to understand that. It’s the reality of the situation. Can we buy time? Yes. Can we buy time and clean the lake? Yes, can we protect property? Yes, for how long? if I knew that answer, I’d be a rich guy.”

Wilson Daughtry with the Mattamuskeet Drainage Association explains the role of the association. Photo: Jennifer Allen

Wilson Daughtry, an Englehard resident with the Mattamuskeet Drainage Association, told the crowd that a few years ago the association partnered with the federation on a watershed restoration plan for the 42,000 acres the association manages, which was a very similar to the process of the Lake Mattamuskeet plan.

Daughtry told Coastal Review Online after the symposium that he is an adjoining land owner who has has worked with the federation in the past on a watershed restoration plan and was a sounding board for this project. Now, moving forward, the plan will need to be approved to become eligible for funding, “And then the real work starts.”

Campbell said in an interview that in the springtime, the refuge will have to post warning signs about the toxicity of the lake. When the temperature rises, cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, increases, which causes the toxicity level goes up.

“The refuge has been part of the 18-month process from the get-go, and one of the three primary stakeholders that contributed to the funding to hire the Coastal Federation to facilitate the planning process,” he said.

“It’s going to take a lot of heavy lifting and a lot of cooperation between the refuge and the service district that will be part of the rest of the watershed.”

— Pete Campbell, Manager, Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge

The water quality of the lake is very bad, Campbell said, and he’s hoping that through this joint effort they can reverse the trend and “get it back to a manageable state where the vegetation can be established, the water quality will improve and those signs will go away, as an example.”

He added that it wasn’t an overnight degradation process, and it’s not going to be an overnight restoration process. “It’s going to take a lot of heavy lifting and a lot of cooperation between the refuge and the service district that will be part of the rest of the watershed,” Campbell said. “It’s going to take a lot of financial resources, we will need a lot of support, not only from the community here, but from folks at the state and even at the national level.”

Flynn said after the meeting that the final plan is a result of participation from stakeholders, and the implementation of this plan will require the same.

“I think the quantity of residents, members of the scientific research community, and staff from regulatory agencies and nonprofit organizations in attendance at the recent public symposium held to unveil the final plan is an excellent indication of the vested interest and commitment to the implementation of the plan,” he said. “It was also very encouraging to see representatives from the offices of Sen. Burr and Sen. Tillis in attendance at the public meetings and symposium.”

OCEAN ISLE BEACH – With the final adoption of amendments to sandbag rules during the November Coastal Resources Commission meeting, some difficulties should be eased for waterfront property owners and Division of Coastal Management staff.

Sandbags are shown at a house on the eastern portion of Ocean Isle Beach in this image from Oct. 23, 2013. Photo: Army Corps of Engineers

The CRC proposed changing the rules to comply with a 2015 legislative mandate related to the management of temporary erosion control structures, or sandbags, along oceanfront and estuarine shorelines, as well as include changes recommended by the CRC, Coastal Resources Advisory Council and local and government agencies, according to the fiscal analysis of the changes.

“The amendments will provide uniformity in administration of sandbag rules while still serving to protect life and property from the hazardous forces indigenous to the Atlantic shoreline,” according to the analysis.

Mike Lopazanski, policy and planning section chief with the Division of Coastal Management, said, “After much discussion and trying to incorporate the wishes of the general assembly, the CRAC, the CRC, stakeholders, we’ve come to the proposed amendments for the implementation of sandbags as temporary erosion control.”

He explained that the main points to the amendments included removing the distinction between structures greater or less than 5,000 square feet. “The eight-year time limit, which stays the same, is going to apply to all structures.”

He explained that if the structure was 5,000 square feet or greater, the time limit was eight years, and if less than 5,000 square feet, it was a five-year limit, but now it’s an eight-year time limit for all structures.

“Another significant change is removing the ‘vegetated’ requirement for sandbag structures to remain beyond their permitted time when covered by sand,” he said. “This is always somewhat problematic, in that if your sandbags were covered by sand and vegetation, they could remain in place even though the permit had expired and the time limit had expired.”

Lopazanski said that they’re removing the vegetative requirement and focusing on the sandbags being covered, which was one of the major changes to implementing temporary erosion control structures.

“And when it comes to sandbags being covered, we’re only going to worry about sandbags that are uncovered above grade,” he said, explaining that if there are sandbags in front of a structure, and the permit has expired and reached the end of the eight-year time limit, only bags that are exposed above grade need to be removed. “So we won’t be digging up the beach; it will be pretty obvious when action needs to be taken and it will be a little bit easier for the property owner. If they can keep their bags covered, they can keep their bags.”

The no-longer necessary provision when it comes to removal of sandbags in connection with an approaching beach re-nourishment project has been modified as well.

“Prior to these changes, sandbags needed to come out before the beach nourishment project would end,” he said, explaining that now only sandbags exposed above grade after completion of the project would need to be removed. “It makes it a little bit more practical for us to implement that part of the rule.”

The changes also clarify that a structure determined to be imminently threatened upon the expiration date of permitted temporary erosion control structures may be permitted to remain in place for an additional eight years, he said.

“So basically if you have sandbags in front of a structure and eight years have elapsed, but there’s a beach nourishment project or inlet relocation project, or stabilization project, terminal groin, (then) sandbags can remain in place for an additional eight years,” he said, adding that the rule was clarified with this amendments.

In response to the legislative request, “temporary erosion control structures, sandbag structures, can be extended beyond the protected structure.”

Before these changes, sandbag structures could be 20 feet wide and 6 feet high and only extend 20 feet past the sides of the structure. “Now we’re going to allow it to go from lot line to lot line. This was to address some problems we had where there were long stretches of structure needing sandbags and we would have a gap either because the property owner decided to do nothing or only the structure itself is being protected with sandbags in front of it, it created a little weakness in the sandbag wall.”

]]>Riverkeeper, SELC Defend GenX Agreementhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/riverkeeper-selc-defend-genx-agreement/
Fri, 14 Dec 2018 05:00:36 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34193The Cape Fear Riverkeeper and a Southern Environmental Law Center attorney explained Wednesday in Wilmington their reasons for joining a controversial consent order that would give a nonprofit enforcement power over Chemours.]]>

The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority’s intake for raw water is just above Lock and Dam No. 1 on the Cape Fear River in Bladen County. Photo: Army Corps of Engineers.

WILMINGTON – The proposed consent order between Chemours and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality would be the quickest way to stop pollution emanating from the company’s Fayetteville Works plant, officials with environmental groups that joined the order say.

Submit Comment

Comments on the consent order will be accepted until Dec. 21 electronically to comments.chemours@ncdenr.gov or mailed to Assistant Secretary’s office, RE: Chemours Public Comments 1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601.

Cape Fear Riverkeeper Kemp Burdette and Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Geoff Gisler defended why they joined a consent order that would require the company to pay a $12 million penalty, reduce air emissions of GenX immediately and clean up and decrease per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, or PFAS, contamination in the Cape Fear River.

“What this order does is attack all of those sources of pollution,” Gisler said as he pointed to a diagram projected onto a large screen showing how compounds produced at the plant get into the river. “What this order does do is it turns off the spigot.”

Geoff Gisler

Gisler and Burdette fielded questions during a public meeting Wednesday night on the campus of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, explaining their reasons for joining the consent order that, if approved by a Bladen County judge, would grant the nonprofit Cape Fear River Watch equal enforcement power as DEQ.

The proposed consent order does not have the support of the local utility authority or some elected officials, who argue the agreement fails to address Cape Fear River sediment and drinking water contamination issues.

New Hanover County Commissioner Woody White recently asked fellow commissioners to join the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, or CFPUA, in opposing the agreement by adopting a resolution stating as such.

White addressed several concerns in an email to county officials, including the fact that neither the utility, county nor city were involved in the settlement negotiations.

He questioned whether the settlement could adversely impact the utility’s lawsuit against Chemours, whether River Watch’s compliance oversight would be a conflict of interest in relation to fundraising, and argues the agreement fails to hold Chemours accountable for knowingly discharging PFAS into the Cape Fear River for more than three decades.

Burdette and Gisler were asked during Wednesday’s Q&A session about the concerns raised by White and the CFPUA.

Kemp Burdette

“It is, in fact, our job to protect water quality,” Burdette said. “(The order) does not give us oversight above and beyond what the state has. (White) may have thought it appeared to do that, but it does not do that.”

Gisler said the agreement does not foreclose any future remediation Chemours may have to address nor will it impact future lawsuits brought against DuPont.

“Our focus in these cases was stopping the pollution,” he said. “They were, by design, intended to focus on what’s happening now.”

Cutting off the pollution source and keeping it on site is an essential part of solving the problem, but it is not the entire resolution to the problem, he said.

River sediment, for example, is not addressed in the agreement.

“Contaminate in sediment is a difficult thing,” Burdette said. “The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has indicated that they have concerns about the sediment and they have a lawsuit to address that. We could spend two decades trying to figure out the exact specifics of sediment or we could stop the pollution that’s leaving that site and affecting our drinking water now.”

The 36-page consent order lays out how much pollution must be reduced within specific timeframes.

Chemours would be required by Dec. 31 to reduce facility-wide air emissions of GenX by at least 92 percent from 2017 total reported emissions.

The company by the end of 2019 would have to reduce GenX compounds by at least 99 percent from 2017 emissions.

This requirement would be included in future air permits granted by the state.

The agreement also mandates that Chemours provide the state with tests for all PFAS the company knows about so that DEQ can test for those compounds.

Discovery of any new PFAS would have to be reported to the state as well as any new process that may cause new compounds to be discharged from the plant.

“There’s a number of steps being taken to manage the groundwater contamination,” Burdette said.

Chemours would continue to collect its polluted wastewater and truck it offsite and cooling ponds would be lined.

The company would have to provide filters to residents who rely on groundwater near the facility.

Sampling plans are still being hashed out, but the order sets up a process for sample and remediation plans, Gisler said.

The agreement does not address possible adverse health effects to those exposed to the chemicals in their drinking water.

Gisler and Burdette anticipate that class action lawsuits will likely be filed against the company pertaining to health-related issues.

The consent order, Burdette said, is the very first step.

“It stops contamination from leaving the site and entering the river, which is the water we drink,” he said. “Our real goal here, the Cape Fear River Watch mission, is protecting and improving the Cape Fear River. I think what is important is we’re pushing for a quick stop to the source. I think that it will be a real blow to this community if we don’t do what this consent order will do. I certainly don’t think it’s the last step.”

Burdette encouraged the audience to submit comments on the proposed order to DEQ.

]]>Final Debris Collection Set for Four Countieshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/final-debris-collection-set-for-four-counties/
Thu, 13 Dec 2018 14:17:56 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34185The final pass for storm debris collection by North Carolina Department of Transportation contractors for Carteret, Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties is set for January.]]>

NEW BERN –Residents in Carteret, Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties will have one more opportunity for storm debris to be collected.

The final pass by North Carolina Department of Transportation contractors to collect residential storm debris from Hurricane Florence is planned for next month, the state agency announced Wednesday.

Material should be on the shoulder of the roadway, not on the pavement or bottom of the ditch, by Monday, Jan. 7. This will be the final time for the debris removal in those four counties.

Tree limbs and other vegetative debris should be separated from construction and demolition-related material left over from the September hurricane, the NCDOT requested in the release.

When placing debris along the roadside, please note the location of power lines or overhanging trees that would prevent the contractor from reaching the debris. Boom trucks, which use a hydraulic crane, cannot operate under power lines or under low-hanging trees. The contractor will not cross onto private property to collect debris.

Experiencing a Christmas without sausage balls is like waking up to no presents under the tree. Photo: Jimmie/Flickr

We were so proud of the cheese ball we made that Christmas Eve afternoon. I blended gorgonzola, cheddar and cream cheese, folded in spiced-rum-soaked raisins, added dashes of nutmeg, ground cloves, too, and then rolled the whole thing in chopped pecans my boyfriend had toasted on the wood stove.

Full of patting each other on the back as we slathered cracker after cracker with what was surely the most envious cheese ball in all of eastern North Carolina, the two of us decided we should text a photo to the finest cook among our best kayaking buddies.

Beaming at the ding of his reply, certain it was a lip-smacking emoji, we grabbed the phone only to be deflated. A photo and its caption clearly indicated our defeat.

“Sausage balls ”

When it comes to holiday nibbles in North Carolina, nothing beats these mini-meatball morsels of pork and cheddar cheese. Experiencing a Christmas without sausage balls is like waking up to no presents under the tree.

Throughout December, sausage balls show up on just about every coastal Carolina party table. Hundreds of them stacked on a regal silver tray or packed tightly in plastic containers send the message: “Eat your fill.”

Achieving bold, irresistible flavor and spot-on crisp-to-tender ratio means choosing a zesty but not overly spiced sausage and sharp but not too dry cheddar. As for Bisquick, add a measure that merely binds the sausage and cheese.

Why Bisquick? Sometime after Minnesota-based General Mills introduced the baking mix in 1931, the company created a sausage balls recipe as one of many ways to use the convenience product. Sausage balls went on to become one of the most requested recipes, General Mills reported at its Betty Crocker website.

You could, of course, forgo the partially-hydrogenated-oil-laced baking mix in favor of a homemade mix of flour, leavening, salt and fat. Sausage balls appear to have started closer to that method back in medieval Winchester, where monks in the late 1400s ate morterells. Cinnamon and chopped onions seasoned a half-and-half combination of sausage and bread crumbs that was shaped into small balls, simmered gently and then fried in lard until golden brown.

Although more elaborate than today’s sausage balls, morterells were considered humble, daily fare, likely a way to stretch meat supplies.

Cinnamon sounds like an interesting twist on the Bisquick recipe. Some people add chopped pecans or chopped jalapenos to sausage balls. Better Crocker continually updates the recipe according to changing tastes. The latest version calls for minced rosemary. Another suggests shredded apples. Milk is recommended to help keep sausage balls moist.

I once made sausage balls with Italian sausage and provolone cheese, and although they were yummy, I don’t recommend the recipe. Nor do I advise homemade biscuit mix. North Carolinians don’t like sausage balls to stray from the simple original.

It’s important to roll each sausage balls so that it fits in your mouth in one bite. Photo: Jarrod Lombardo/Flickr

Tar Heels may tinker with the amount of Bisquick and cheese they use. Some like a moister texture and add less Bisquick. Cheese lovers add more cheddar. That’s about as far as they’ll wander. Fiddle too much with the three-ingredient formula and you might as well put Santa Claus in a purple suit.

When rolling sausage balls, “the most important thing is to make it the perfect size. It has to fit in your mouth in one bite,” Fayetteville Technical Community College chef and culinary instructor Nadia Minniti said.

Minniti suggests each sausage ball be 1½ inches in diameter, about the size of a walnut. Try using a spring-loaded mini scoop to insure each sausage ball rolls out to the same size.

Sausage balls must bake exactly long enough that their bottoms become barely crunchy while the inside remains moist and tender. Temperature recommendations vary from 350 to 400 degrees. The hotter the oven, the higher risk of dry sausage balls, which aren’t so bad. Sausage balls are sort of like pizza in my opinion. I’ve never eaten one I didn’t like.

Betty Crocker recipe developers suggest adding ½ cup of milk to this recipe to ensure moist sausage balls. Choose sausage with a little bite. Many North Carolinians prefer the Greensboro-based Neese’s brand, which sells its original country sausage recipe, spicy “hot” sausage and one with extra sage. Sausage balls may be rolled, frozen and baked straight from the freezer. You may also bake, freeze and then reheat. They’re delicious served warm or at room temperature. Some people load cooked sausage balls in a crock pot, cover them in barbecue sauce and serve them warm straight from the pot, Minniti said.

In large bowl, stir together Bisquick, sausage and cheese using your hands or a heavy spoon. A stand mixer works well, too, but mix lightly to avoid a dense texture. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place in pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

In large bowl, mix sausage, cheese, baking mix and apple with hands until well blended. Shape mixture into 1½-inch balls; place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown and no longer pink. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Serve warm.

Makes about 40 sausage balls.

Source: All recipes from bettycrocker.com

]]>North Topsail Beach Planner Posts Surveyhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/north-topsail-beach-planner-posts-survey/
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 16:58:59 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34168North Topsail Beach is asking residents, property owners and others to complete an online survey about various issues associated with growth and development to assist officials in updating the town's land use plan.]]>

NORTH TOPSAIL BEACH – Town residents and others are asked to complete a survey to help plan for this Onslow County beach town’s growth and development.

North Topsail Beach. Photo: North Topsail Beach/Buddy Morrison

According to a message Wednesday from Deborah Hill, the town’s planning director, North Topsail Beach is in the process of updating the town’s Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, land use plan. As a part of the process, a survey is being conducted to determine how residents, property owners and others who are interested feel about various issues associated with growth and development.

The survey is available online at www.ntbplan.com. The website also features other materials associated with the planning process, including draft sections of the document for public review, and it allows for comments regarding the plan and planning process to be submitted.

A land use plan, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management, is a collection of policies and maps that serves as a community’s blueprint for growth. Land use plans provide guidance for development projects and a range of policy issues.

“These plans are a fundamental element of coastal management in North Carolina,” according to the division.

CAMA requires each of the 20 coastal counties to have a local land use plan that follows guidelines set by the Coastal Resources Commission and includes local policies that address growth issues. This includes policies for protecting productive and natural resources, such as forests or fisheries, identification of desired types of economic development and ways to reduce storm hazards.

Proposed projects must be consistent with the policies of a local land use plan, or DCM cannot permit a project to go forward.

Questions and concerns regarding the survey can be directed to Hill at dhill@ntbnc.org.

]]>Jones, NC Aquariums Weigh In On Seismichttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/jones-nc-aquariums-weigh-in-on-seismic/
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 15:37:47 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34162Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. and the North Carolina Aquariums both stated in recent days their opposition to seismic exploration for oil and natural gas of the East Coast.]]>

Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. has added his name to the list of those opposed to the federal plan to issue permits to five companies to begin seismic surveying for oil and natural gas off the East Coast.

Rep. Walter Jones

The Trump administration announced Nov. 30 plans to issue under the Marine Mammal Protection Act five Incidental Harassment Authorizations, or IHAs, which advance permit applications for seismic exploration.

Jones was one of 93 members of Congress who signed a bipartisan letter led by Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urging that they not allow seismic testing in the Atlantic to move forward.

Rutherford said he was worried about the effects seismic testing would have on vulnerable marine mammal populations and other marine life and how it would affect naval operations and training missions off the East Coast.

“We have very little information on what this would mean for our national security, the health of our recovering fisheries, or our coastal economies. Not to mention that any data collected about oil and gas reserves off our coast would be proprietary, meaning neither the public nor government officials would have access to this information. I am encouraged by today’s strong showing of bipartisan opposition to opening the Atlantic to seismic testing,” Rutherford said in a statement.

Last week, Gov. Roy Cooper’s spokesman Ford Porter issued a statement outlining the governor’s opposition. “Seismic testing that opens the door to offshore drilling threatens marine mammals and our fragile ocean ecosystem and is simply not worth the risk to North Carolina’s coastal communities, tourism economy and commercial fishing industry. Governor Cooper has made clear that North Carolina is opposed to this kind of seismic testing and will continue to take steps to protect our coast from the threat of offshore drilling.”

State Aquariums Opposed

In addition, the North Carolina Aquariums have joined a coalition of major public aquariums that announced opposition to the federal plan.

The North Carolina Aquariums have joined the New England Aquarium, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and the New York Aquarium with its parent Wildlife Conservation Society in opposition to the plan.

Citing marine scientists’ concerns that the activity will affect already stressed ocean environments, the aquariums said NOAA’s authorization comes following unusual mortality events for large whale species along the East Coast. During the past two years, there has been a higher than usual number of humpback, minke and right whale deaths.

“To introduce the additional major and possibly lethal stressor of seismic blasting to already beleaguered whale populations along the Atlantic seaboard is an abdication of NOAA’s responsibility for the sound management of the living marine resources in the region,” said Scott Kraus, vice president and chief scientist for marine mammals at the New England Aquarium.

“We have had a bombshell dropped on us,” said Greg Mitchell, manager at the company that provides curbside recycling services for Hatteras Island. “This is not just a localized thing. This is (happening) on a national level.”

After getting over the shock when receiving the Oct. 10 letter from Bay Disposal & Recycling in Powells Point, he said the company, which services about 1,500 rental properties and 300-400 local residences, has resolved to review its options and find a solution before their program resumes on Easter week.

“We’ve had some really good conversations with the county,” Mitchell said. “Hopefully, we’ll have some answers after the first of the year.”

Todd Phillips, who launched Hatteras Recycle 13 years ago, said he had just secured sale of his company when he learned of the price spike.

“When I saw that tipping fee … that’s like hitting a wall,” Phillips said. “It’s triple the national rate for what garbage is. I was like, ‘How can this be?’”

Phillips then reached out to the state and county, which were facing similar challenges on how to address the steep price increases for recycling. From those discussions, he came to believe that the issue can be addressed in a practical way by going back to basics.

“Here’s the unpopular truth about this – single stream recycling doesn’t work,” he said.

By throwing recyclables in the same container, he said, it has resulted in either more processing to make the product marketable, or so much contamination that the recyclables have to be thrown out at the landfill.

But as it turns out, contamination – especially with glass – is a major problem that needs to be addressed to solve the current crisis.

As Phillips explained, the price spike to dispose of recycled materials in the U.S. is a direct consequence of the Chinese government cutting off imports of recycled materials last year, leaving no market for American haulers to dispose of the product. A big reason for the Chinese rejection, he said, is that much of the plastic material is contaminated, although some believe the 2017 release of the documentary “Plastic China,” a searing expose of the Chinese workers, including children, picking through mountains of filthy plastic garbage, may have caused the closure.

“They gave the U.S. a year’s warning, but everyone was asleep at the wheel,” he said. “The mantra we’re going with is (that) we have to take a step backward to move forward. We’re taking the glass out. We’re going to re-educate our customers: Do not contaminate the stream or there will not be any more recycling.”

Hatteras Recycle now has new owners, Peter and Beth Eady, who were relocating to Hatteras Island from Wilmington. Phillips, who recently moved near his family in Cape Cod and lives part time in Waves, said he has retained a financial stake in the company and plans to remain active in keeping it viable for the community.

In its 2018 season, from Easter until Thanksgiving, Hatteras Recycle collected 425 tons of material, Phillips said. That translates to a savings of $30,000 in landfill tipping fees. For that reason, he said, Hatteras Recycle is hoping to work out an arrangement with Dare County that would credit the company for a portion of those savings, in turn offsetting the increased fees for disposal of recyclables.

“We’re going to re-focus on banned materials – aluminum, steel, plastic – that are not allowed in the landfills,” he said. “We’re providing these services to keep them compliant.”

Phillips said he has also proposed finding a volunteer crew to staff the county recycling drop-off center in Rodanthe. If the county would allow volunteers, Phillips said he would be seeking locals who would be willing to chip in the time in order to have the convenience of not having to travel to the Buxton site.

Shanna Fullmer, Dare County public works director, said that the county doesn’t have the same issue with co-mingling its recyclables. It has a glass crusher that saves on transport costs for recycled glass. The county also uses a compactor for recyclables – aluminum and steel cans, plastic bottles, paper and cardboard.

The crushed glass, she said, is available for free to the public, who use it for garden mulch, arts and crafts, and as a component of driveway material.

“Dare County isn’t in as rough shape as other places because we’re already separating these things out,” she said.

Between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018, Fullmer said, the county collected 1,557.29 tons of recyclable materials, 4,900 pounds of household hazardous waste, 6,600 gallons of motor oil, 560 gallons of antifreeze and 29 to 30 tons of electronics.

Fullmer said the county has been negotiating with Bay Disposal about fee adjustments and is working on solutions to help Hatteras Recycle. It is also partnering with the state on a consumer education program to foster better understanding of what’s recyclable and what’s not.

“The state has actually been very involved and very supportive and proactive in working on finding a solution,” she said. There may be grant opportunities available, or the possibility of having a regional MRF (material recovery facility) provided to help sort the recyclables. The idea, she said, is to keep contamination at a minimal.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the nonprofit Carolina Recycling Association have started offering “anti-contamination” workshops to local governments, waste haulers and recycling service providers, said Mike Greene, recycling business development specialist for the state Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service.

Tools are also published online, he said, including social media strategies, brochures and advertising methods to promote “a common set of educational materials.”

“We’re relying on the local communities to do the outreach to their people,” Greene said.

The reality is that China needs the recycled material, he said, and the U.S. has the means and the will to provide clean material. In addition to limiting contamination at the source, there are plans to improve operation of MRFs. There is also speculation, he said, that warehouse-like facilities can be constructed at different areas of the country to process and pack pre-cleaned material to send to China.

Last year, there were 17,000 private industry recycling jobs in North Carolina, Greene said, and it is an important and growing sector of the state’s economy.

“I think we’re rebuilding recycling the right way,” he said.

And even at a small scale, Phillips believes that Hatteras Recycle, which has provided eight to 10 good jobs, is an important contributor to the community. Plus, he said, the tourists expect to be able to recycle. Recycling is also a necessity in maintaining a clean environment, especially when landfill space is limited.

“There is a way forward – reeducation and finding local end markets,” Phillips said. “The whole shipping into China – it was fast and easy, out of sight, out of mind.”

Still, there is a huge demand, he said, for clean plastic waste, which is reused in manufacturing – although plastic grocery bags “are a nightmare,” he added. Recycling needs to adapt, and businesses like Hatteras Recycle are an important part of the solution.

“I’m going to be completely involved with this for the foreseeable future,” Phillips said.

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday a significant rewrite of a federal rule protecting wetlands and streams from pollution.

Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Photo: EPA

Federal Environmental Protection Agency, Interior Department and Army Corps of Engineers officials were on hand to announce the proposed rule, which revises the definition of ‘‘waters of the United States’’ under the Clean Water Act. Officials said the replacement for the Obama-era rule provides “a clear, understandable, and implementable definition” that clarifies federal authority.

“Our proposal would replace the Obama EPA’s 2015 definition with one that respects the limits of the Clean Water Act and provides states and landowners the certainty they need to manage their natural resources and grow local economies,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “For the first time, we are clearly defining the difference between federally protected waterways and state protected waterways. Our simpler and clearer definition would help landowners understand whether a project on their property will require a federal permit or not, without spending thousands of dollars on engineering and legal professionals.”

Andrew Wheeler

The agencies’ proposal is the second step in a two-step process President Donald Trump set in motion in February 2017 with an executive order. Repealing the rule was the first step. Under the agencies’ proposal, only traditional navigable waters, tributaries to those waters, certain ditches, certain lakes and ponds, impoundments of jurisdictional waters and wetlands adjacent to jurisdictional waters would be federally regulated. It would not apply to features that only contain water during or after rainfall, groundwater, most roadside or farm ditches, converted cropland, stormwater control features and waste treatment systems.

“EPA and the Army together propose this new definition that provides a clear and predictable approach to regulating ‘waters of the United States.’ We focused on developing an implementable definition that balances local and national interests under the Clean Water Act,” said Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works R.D. James. “I have heard from a wide range of stakeholders on Clean Water Act implementation challenges. This proposed definition provides a common-sense approach to managing our nation’s waters.”

R.D. James

Opponents of the change say it would make it easier for polluters to contaminate vital U.S. waters.

“The Trump administration will stop at nothing to reward polluting industries and endanger our most treasured resources,” said Jon Devine, director of the federal water program at Natural Resources Defense Council. “Given the problems facing our lakes, streams, and wetlands—from the beaches of Florida to the drinking water of Toledo—now is the time to strengthen protections for our waterways, not weaken them.”

Wetlands will only receive protection under the new rule if they are physically connected to other jurisdictional waters. Opponents said that plan disregards the EPA’s own research showing that such wetlands and ephemeral and intermittent streams affect downstream waters.

“No matter which party holds the power in Washington, the needs of America’s hunters and anglers have not changed since we supported the 2015 Clean Water Rule—all streams and wetlands are crucial to supporting healthy fish and waterfowl populations that power our sports, and an entire swath of these important habitats does not deserve to be overlooked or written off on a technicality,” said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Sportsmen and women will remain engaged in the public process of creating a new rule for how our smaller streams and wetlands are regulated, because our quintessentially American traditions in the outdoors depend on it.”

State Farm Bureau presidents were among those who had sought the change and were in attendance at the announcement event at the EPA headquarters.

“Farmers and ranchers work every day to protect our nation’s waterways and drinking water. For more than five years we have advocated for a new water rule that protects clean water and provides clear rules for people and communities to follow. This new rule will empower farmers and ranchers to comply with the law, protect our water resources and productively work their land without having to hire an army of lawyers and consultants,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.

The agencies will take comment on the proposal for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. EPA and the Army will also hold an informational webcast on Jan. 10, 2019, and will host a listening session on the proposed rule in Kansas City, Kansas, on Jan. 23, 2019.

Once the public comment period opens, the public is encouraged to submit written comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal.

Learn More

]]>Groups Sue to Block Seismic Explorationhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/groups-sue-to-block-seismic-exploration/
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 16:01:03 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34135A coalition of environmental organizations has filed a lawsuit against the federal government under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to block seismic exploration for oil and natural gas off the East Coast.]]>

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Environmental groups have sued the federal government to prevent seismic exploration for oil and natural gas beneath the ocean floor off the East Coast.

Intense air gun blasts can drown out animal sounds and may cause problems for right whales and other marine mammals. Image: BOEM/Stefan Fichtel, National Geographic Creative

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in South Carolina, claims that the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act when it issued Incidental Harassment Authorizations in late November. Those permits authorize five companies to harm or harass marine mammals while conducting seismic surveys in waters from Cape May, New Jersey, to Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review Online, along with the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana, One Hundred Miles, Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation joined to file the lawsuit. The Southern Environmental Law Center is representing South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, Defenders of Wildlife, North Carolina Coastal Federation and One Hundred Miles. Earthjustice is representing Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation.

The plaintiffs claim that authorizing five companies to simultaneously conduct seismic testing would disrupt the entire marine ecosystem, and could seriously injure or kill whales and dolphins, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

“Ignoring the mounting opposition to offshore drilling, the decision to push forward with unnecessarily harmful seismic testing defies the law, let alone common sense,” said Catherine Wannamaker, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “An overwhelming number of communities, businesses, and elected officials have made it clear that seismic blasting – a precursor to drilling that no one wants – has no place off our coasts.”

North Carolina Coastal Federation Executive Director Todd Miller said seismic testing and offshore drilling are incompatible with North Carolina’s coast.

“There’s never a window that would be a good time for seismic testing to happen. Studies show that seismic affects the behaviors of marine mammals, fish and zooplankton, and seismic is harmful for fisheries. And on top of all that, it’s a precursor to offshore drilling which is strongly opposed here in North Carolina.”

Seismic exploration uses airguns to shoot loud blasts of compressed air through the ocean and into the seafloor. The sound waves travel back to the surface providing information about the possible location of undersea oil and gas deposits.

The petroleum industry says East Coast states stand to reap economic benefits from offshore energy reserves. For North Carolina, $2.56 billion in cumulative tax revenues from offshore leasing could be realized during a 20-year period, according to a recent report from the American Petroleum Institute.

“This new study is proof that the tax generating benefits of federal offshore activity could be a huge benefit for investments in our children’s education, offsetting college tuition increases, and rebuilding infrastructure throughout the state,” said David McGowan of the North Carolina Petroleum Council.

Others say any economic benefits are far outweighed by the risks.

A recent economic study by Oceana shows that offshore drilling activities, including seismic exploration, off the East Coast threaten more than 1.5 million jobs and nearly $108 billion in gross domestic product, and would yield less than seven months’ worth of oil and less than six months’ worth of gas.

The plaintiffs cite opposition and concern over offshore drilling activities in the Atlantic from the governors of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and more than 240 municipalities in East Coast states. More than 1,500 local, state and federal bipartisan officials, an alliance representing more than 42,000 businesses and 500,000 fishing families and fishery management councils are also opposed.

The National Marine Fisheries Service issued permits to five companies on Nov. 30. Before those companies can begin seismic testing, they must also receive permits from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Also on Tuesday in Charleston, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of 16 South Carolina municipalities contesting the validity of the incidental harassment authorizations.

WANCHESE — Two living shorelines workshops are planned for February at the Coastal Studies Institute.

From 1-5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, a free workshop for real estate professionals, property owners and homeowner associations will be held on “Promoting Living Shorelines for Erosion Control.” Registration for the workshop is required.

Best practices for use of marsh plants and oyster shell in erosion control.

A second workshop for marine contractors, engineers, landscape architects, land use planners, floodplain managers, and other professionals is set for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019. Registration is required for this workshop.

This “Living Shorelines for Erosion Control on Estuarine Shorelines” workshop is free and will teach the benefits and limitations of using living shorelines for erosion control; living shorelines design standards based on site conditions; best practices for living shoreline construction and use of marsh plants and oyster shell; the permitting process for living shorelines; and living shoreline projects in the northern coastal region.

Participants in this workshop will be able to earn the following continuing education credits:

Engineers will receive a certificate of participation to file for 4.5 PDHs

The workshops are hosted by the North Carolina Coastal Federation, North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, North Carolina Division of Coastal Management and Coastal Studies Institute.

Compared to heavily flooded communities inland, property damage from Hurricane Florence along the North Carolina coast was somewhat lighter and much more scattered. But in almost all the hard-hit southern and central coastal regions, the slow-moving storm’s wrath spread over three tidal cycles, leveled dunes, chewed up beaches and left inlets clogged, shifted and closed.

This Google Earth image of a Surf City home in 2013 shows the approximate dune height at 9 feet.

This 2018 Division of Coastal Management image of the same home in Surf City shows a total loss of the dune after Hurricane Florence.

Communities with an economy dependent on beaches and inlets continue to assess the toll. For some, the way ahead is more certain with a clear path to funding re-nourishment and repairs, but for others, the costs and funding sources are, for now, far out of reach.

The most recent assessment of the costs up and down the coast by the state’s Division of Water Resources identified about $272 million in beach projects, $62 million in inlet dredging and about $750,000 for beach-area sewer and flood-mitigation repairs. Even with a considerable federal match included, the cost to the state would far outpace any available resources. Of the projects so identified, the state match would total more than $162 million.

During recent hearings in the North Carolina General Assembly, as legislators began looking at estimates of what it would take to return beaches to their pre-storm state and clear inlets, the result was something beyond sticker shock.

Sen. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, one of the Senate’s main budget writers and the chief proponent of increased funding for dredging and re-nourishment, said there was no way the cost of the damage can be covered under the current system.

In the most recent hurricane relief package, which passed soon after the legislature’s return in late November, Brown was able to add an additional $18.5 million to the state’s new Coastal Storm Damage Mitigation Fund with an earmark of $5 million for projects in heavily damaged areas of Topsail Island. But he acknowledged in a recent interview that’s just a fraction of what’s needed.

“It’s a lot of money,” Brown said. “I don’t see where we’re going to get the funding.”

Storm Proves Value of Wide Beaches

Earlier this fall when Braxton Davis, director of the state’s Division of Coastal Management, briefed legislators on the impact of Hurricane Florence to North Carolina’s coast, he stressed that one of the major takeaways was that areas that had invested in wide, flat beaches and natural dunes fared far better than others.

Nothing underlined that point better, he said, than what happened in Surf City, which had a relatively narrow beach and relied on a 9-foot, Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, berm to protect the town. Much of the berm was erased in the storm, nearly all the town’s overwalks were damaged and heavy flooding totaled, among other things, the town hall.

The town estimates that it will require as much as 350,000 cubic yards of sand to replace just what was lost, with an estimated cost ranging from $11 million to $16 million. Building up the beach beyond that is a much more long-range plan and would require both further federal review and a source of funding for an estimated cost of about $68 million.

But the Surf City project, one of the costliest estimates, pales in comparison to the town’s northern neighbors. In its initial estimate for state officials, North Topsail Beach estimated the loss of sand along its 11.5 miles of beaches to be between 4 million and 5 million cubic yards. The town estimated the cost of a major re-nourishment project to run about $85 million. Unlike Surf City and much of the rest of the coast, only about a third of a North Topsail Beach project would be eligible for federal funding because the rest is in a Coastal Barrier Resources Act, or CBRA, zone, which restricts federal expenditures in environmentally sensitive coastal areas. That currently puts the state’s share of the cost for North Topsail Beach at about $50 million.

Other large-scale projects include $24 million in restoration work at Topsail Beach and about $40.4 million for areas under the Bogue Banks Master Beach Nourishment Plan, which includes Pine Knoll Shores, Indian Beach, Salter Path and Emerald Isle.

Other major beach projects on the state’s list include the following:

Morehead City Harbor, Atlantic Beach and Pine Knoll Shores –$10 million for beach nourishment using sand dredged from the harbor that serves the state port. The state match would be $3.3 million.

Kill Devil Hills – $2.6 million for beach re-nourishment to replace sand lost from a 2017 project. State and local funds would pay for the project.

Bald Head Island – $20 million for the south and west beach restoration project. State and local funds would pay for the project with the state match at round $1.4 million.

Oak Island –$2.4 million to replace sand lost from recently completed beach project and $2.3 million to repair the FEMA emergency dune project with a state match of $1.2 million.

Other Oak Island beaches – $4.6 million for beach restoration.

Holden Beach – $6.9 million for beach sand replacement. Funding would come through Army Corps of Engineers supplemental funding.

Carolina Beach and Kure Beach – an additional $1.7 million for each town’s current beach re-nourishment project. Funding would come through the Corps’ supplemental funding or the state.

Wrightsville Beach – $8.35 million for beach re-nourishment. Funding would come through the Corps’ supplemental funding.

The state is also considering requests for assistance for flood-abatement projects in Craven and Pender counties and a stormwater system upgrade in Pine Knoll Shores.

Division of Water Resources Acting Director Jim Gregson said the cost estimates are likely to fluctuate as further survey work is done and communities search for grants from FEMA and other federal sources.

In the long run, Gregson said, a lot of the projects will depend on the outcome of a supplemental funding bill for the Corps.

“It costs a lot to move sand,” he said. “One of the big hurdles is what the Corps is able to do with some supplemental funding.”

“If Congress doesn’t appropriate some extra money, I don’t think the municipalities in the state alone are going to be able to foot the bill for something as large as this.”

— Jim Gregson, Acting Director, Division of Water Resources

Without it, he said, the state would have to step in. Only a handful of local governments have the resources or revenue streams to cover the cost.

“If Congress doesn’t appropriate some extra money, I don’t think the municipalities in the state alone are going to be able to foot the bill for something as large as this,” Gregson said.

Some of the projects, he said, “are pipe dream projects,” but they get far more feasible if all three sources – federal, state and local – are available.

“I think the big thing is both the local governments and the Corps being able to come through with some money. We don’t have $169 million but you get a lot closer to getting some of the projects done when you get all three, state local and federal matches put in the pot.”

Rep. Pat McElraft, R-Carteret, said engineered beaches have an advantage post-storm because they already have a system for drawing federal funds to rebuild beaches in an emergency.

“I think we’re going to be OK in Carteret,” she said.

Rep. Phil Shepard, R-Onslow, said finding funds to fix issues on Topsail Island will be difficult. He said the state will help, but there’s not enough funds to go around.

Rep. Phil Shepard

“I’m hopeful that we can do some matching with the federal and local authorities to help in those areas,” he said. “I don’t think it would be feasible to do all that we’d like to do because we have so many other areas of the state that are affected.”

Shepard said it is possible the state may allow a local-option sales tax to help local governments raise the money to help cover the repair costs.

Most of the channel-dredging projects are still waiting on assessments and surveys from the Corps. The list of local requests from dredging projects includes 20 proposed in New Hanover County and several in and around Beaufort in Carteret County.

With that list growing, Gregson said for the first time since the creation of an inlet-dredging fund in 2013, the state may have more inlet project requests than it can fund.

“Up until probably this year we’ve had enough money coming into the shallow-draft fund that we’ve been able to fund every dredging project we received a request for,” he said. “That probably is no longer going to be the case and we’re going to have prioritize projects unless we get more money into that fund.”

The state currently has $62 million in the shallow-draft fund with $19 million of that encumbered, in part to cover the cost of a new public-private partnership that’s building a dredge dedicated to keeping Oregon Inlet clear.

Gregson said the list of projects is daunting and even if the funds become available, the amount of work will take time. There just aren’t enough crews and resources available.

“I don’t think there’s any way that all this can be done in a single year,” he said.

]]>NC Wins $23M to Replace Rural Bridgeshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/nc-wins-23m-to-replace-rural-bridges/
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 21:04:54 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34082North Carolina won a $23 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD to replace 77 of bridges in 17 of the state’s most economically distressed counties.]]>

RALEIGH — The state may now move forward with replacing dozens of bridges in several economically distressed counties, including in Beaufort and Hyde.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced last week that the state received a $23 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s grant program called Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, which will be used to replace 77 bridges in Alexander, Allegheny, Beaufort, Duplin, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hyde, Iredell, Nash, Northhampton, Pitt, Sampson, Surry, Wayne, Wilkes, Wilson and Yadkin counties.

Of those 77 bridges, 63 are more than 50 years old, and two are close to 100: a 97-year-old bridge in Alexander County and a 98-year-old bridge in Wilson County.

The overall cost of the replacements is projected at $119.1 million, with the State Highway Bridge Fund paying for 58 of the structures and the BUILD grant covering the cost of replacing 19 weight-restricted bridges that could not be replaced using state funds, according to the announcement.

The new bridges will include weather and flood monitors to help provide better data and warnings about potential hazards. The sensors will provide critical information regarding weather conditions around the bridges to FIMAN, North Carolina’s Flood Inundation and Alert Mapping Network. Additionally, each bridge replaced will include conduit to allow for future expansion of broadband fiber, decreasing the cost to provide broadband service to rural and underserved areas.

Gov. Roy Cooper

“These extra funds will allow North Carolina to replace key bridges in rural areas to help farmers, industry, schools and communities,” Cooper said in a statement. “These bridges will be rebuilt better and smarter, to include flood monitoring and create more opportunities to expand broadband in areas that need it most.”

Many of the bridges to be replaced serve communities with agriculture and agribusiness interests and 19 are weight-restricted, which limits use by large trucks that often serve the agriculture industry as well as buses that take students to school.

“Good infrastructure is a critical lifeline for our rural communities and agriculture as ag products move from the field to consumers and overseas markets,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler in a statement. “Improving these bridges will help reduce costs for agricultural haulers, which will help our farmers save money and be more competitive.”

Contracts to perform the bridge replacements will be awarded during the next two years and most projects will take less than a year to complete.

CAPE HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHORE — An accessible hunt blind and wildlife viewing platform is being proposed for Bodie Island and the National Park Service is looking for public comment about the project.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is planning to construct the viewing platform on Bodie Island in Nags Head. The project would include a small concrete parking area, interpretive signage, a 260-foot-long elevated boardwalk to a partially covered platform over an open pond within the federally authorized hunt area on Bodie Island, according to a release Monday from National Parks of Eastern North Carolina.

An environmental assessment has been prepared to analyze the effects of building a new accessible hunting blind and wildlife-viewing platform along with associated facilities, which officials said would meet the following project objectives:

Build an American Barriers Act-accessible hunt blind within a location that would avoid or minimize damage to sensitive ecological features.

Enhance the seashore’s visitor opportunities by providing an accessible hunt blind and wildlife-viewing platform within a wetland environment for all visitors.

The environmental assessment is available for a 30-day public comment period at the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website from Monday through Jan. 8, 2019. Select the “Construction of a New Accessible Hunt Blind/Wildlife Viewing Platform on Bodie Island” link to view the assessment and to make a comment or mail comments to Superintendent, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, 1401 National Park Drive, Manteo, NC 27954.

To ensure your comments are included in this process, they must be entered via the website or postmarked by Jan. 8, 2019. Comments will only be accepted by mail or online. Bulk comments in hard copy or electronic formats submitted on behalf of others will not be accepted.

Cooper requested the declaration in a letter dated Nov. 1, saying federal fisheries disaster assistance was needed for long-term recovery after initial relief from state appropriations. The declaration is a critical step for Congress to appropriate fishery disaster assistance, the governor’s office noted Friday.

“Recreational and commercial fishing are important economic drivers for our state and families along North Carolina’s coast. I appreciate Secretary Ross’s recognition of the damage to these vital industries caused by Hurricane Florence. We must rebuild smarter and stronger than ever and I will continue to work with our federal, state and local partners to bring recovery funds to those who need them,” Cooper said in a statement.

In November, the governor requested an additional $6.3 billion in federal aid, including the declaration of disaster for North Carolina’s fisheries and $20 million for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Disaster Assistance. The state’s total federal request is $8.8 billion.

The governor’s office cited state Division of Marine Fisheries figures showing that North Carolina’s commercial fishing industry generated more than $96 million in revenue in 2017.

]]>Monarch Migrationhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/monarch-migration/
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 14:52:25 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34087Miriam Sutton of Beaufort captured this image of a monarch butterfly in November while out on a stroll around historic Carteret County town during the annual migration season.]]>

Featured Photo

Miriam Sutton of Beaufort captured this image of a monarch butterfly in November while out on a stroll around historic Carteret County town during the annual migration season.

The science panel that advises the state’s Coastal Resources Commission recently presented to the commission proposed changes to IHA boundaries at those 10 inlets.

The proposed maps expand IHAs collectively by a little more than 1,830 acres and remove about 470 acres from existing boundaries.

A majority of IHAs would gain ground under the proposed boundaries. Acreage would be reduced at three inlets, including Tubbs Inlet at Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach in Brunswick County, Mason Inlet at Wrightsville Beach and Figure Eight Island in New Hanover County, and in Pender County New Topsail Inlet at Lea-Hutaff Island.

Undeveloped inlets within state or federal management lands, such as Oregon Inlet, were excluded from the science panel’s yearslong study.

IHAs are defined as shorelines especially vulnerable to erosion and flooding where inlets can shift suddenly and dramatically.

“Inlets are complicated,” science panel member Bill Birkemeier said during a presentation at the CRC’s Nov. 29 meeting.

Bill Birkemeier

Inlets typically move over time in one of two ways. An inlet migrates, meaning it moves in one general direction, or it oscillates, wagging back and forth.

About five of the state’s inlets migrate, Birkemeier said. The rest are oscillating inlets.

Because no two inlets are alike, the challenge for the science panel has been to develop a method that fairly defines IHAs.

When IHAs were first drawn in late 1970s they were established based on the historic migration of the inlet shoreline.

The science panel determined that using the hybrid vegetation line, or landward most position of the historic vegetation line, is a more equitable method in determining an IHA.

Each new proposed boundary was created based on the annual inlet-shoreline erosion rate and the “30-year risk line” and the “90-year risk line.” The 30-year line is calculated by multiplying the annual inlet shore erosion rate by 30 and measuring landward from the hybrid vegetation line. The 90-year line is multiplied by 90 and measured landward from the hybrid vegetation line.

Birkemeier said that the method is objective and, for the most part, works at all 10 inlets the science panel has been studying for more than a decade.

Talk of updating IHA maps stretches back to 1998-99, when members of the first-appointed science panel suggested to the commission the boundaries were outdated.

About 10 years passed before the state Division of Coastal Management, or DCM, presented updated boundaries to the CRC around 2010.

The proposed boundaries were larger, prompting a host of questions and concerns that essentially pushed back progress on updating the IHAs.

It would be several years before the science panel studied the inlets: Tubbs, Shallotte and Lockwood Folly inlets in Brunswick County, Carolina Beach, Masonboro, Mason and Rich inlets in New Hanover County, New Topsail and New River inlets in Pender County and Bogue Inlet in Carteret County.

During the 40 years that have passed since IHAs were initially established, three inlets have closed and two have moved outside their original boundaries.

The science panel’s recommendations to the CRC include updating the IHAs every five years.

What may change

Long-term erosion rates are about five times greater at oceanfront shorelines near inlets.

“Inlet shorelines can also fluctuate much more than those farther away from the inlets,” according to a Nov. 15 DCM memorandum to the CRC. “These fluctuations may not increase the overall erosion rate but still contribute to the short-term risk to development.”

Rules governing development within IHAs were established to control density and structure size along the shorelines affected by the dynamic waterways.

Current rules do not allow lots about one-third of an acre in size to be subdivided. Residential structures of four units or fewer or non-residential structures of less than 5,000 square feet are only allowed on lots within an IHA.

A majority of the inlets included in the study are pretty much built out, Richardson said, with the exception of New Topsail Inlet at the southern end of Topsail Island. That inlet has been moving south about 90 feet per year since the 1930s.

The division staff is proposing concepts for the CRC to consider as the commission discusses possible rule amendments, including grandfathering existing structures within the new IHAs.

Under the grandfather provision, structures within the IHA could be rebuilt at the same size if destroyed in a storm.

Perhaps the most significant concept DCM officials are proposing is establishing building setbacks based on annual inlet erosion rates, not the oceanfront erosion rates used now.

“Right now, we really can’t say definitively what the rules will be,” Richardson said. “That’s going to be strictly up to the commission in terms of the rules they’re going to try and amend.”

The CRC is expected to discuss the proposed boundary revisions and rule amendments at its February meeting.

]]>Temporary Oceanfront Setback Rule In Workshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/temporary-oceanfront-setback-rule-in-works/
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 05:00:48 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34095The Coastal Resources Commission has OK'd designations for Surf City and North Topsail Beach that may allow construction boundaries to be set for oceanfront areas of environmental concern where the vegetation line was erased by Hurricane Florence.]]>

An unvegetated beach can be designated by the CRC in areas where no stable and natural vegetation is present, including areas that have suddenly become unvegetated because of a hurricane or other major storm event. Image: CRC

OCEAN ISLE BEACH – The state Coastal Resources Commission during its recent meeting Nov. 28 gave the go-ahead to designate an unvegetated beach area of environmental concern, or AEC, for Surf City and North Topsail Beach, to remain in effect until stable and natural vegetation has re-established.

The action creates a clear boundary for oceanfront construction in areas where there is no stable and natural vegetation present, including areas that have suddenly lost vegetation because of a hurricane or other major storm, until vegetation returns.

Hurricane Florence washed away the primary frontal dune and the established vegetation at Surf City and North Topsail Beach, making it impossible to interpolate a vegetation line, Ken Richardson, shoreline management specialist with the Division of Coastal Management, told the CRC.

A measurement line cannot be established until an unvegetated beach AEC is first designated by the CRC. With that designation, Division of Coastal Management staff will be able to map a measurement line. The measurement line, which approximates the location where the vegetation line is expected to return and recover, is for the purposes of measuring oceanfront construction setback for new development, or for repairs exceeding the 50 percent threshold, according to the presentation.

Richardson explained to the CRC that after Hurricane Florence at these two locations, there was no vegetation on the ground to measure oceanfront setback, but the division cannot establish a measurement line without first having the unvegetated beach AEC.

Richardson asked the commission for guidance with interpreting the rules to establish the measurement line, or reference feature, for the purpose of measuring oceanfront construction setbacks in areas where there is no vegetation due to Hurricane Florence.

The two options are to calculate the average pre- and post-storm vegetation recession distance and measured that from the pre-storm vegetation line or calculate the average difference between pre- and post-storm beach width and measure that distance from pre-storm vegetation, according to the presentation. The two equations produce different outcomes, he said.

By asking for the commission’s interpretation of the intent of this rule, and with the unvegetated beach AEC in place, staff can map the measurement line based on commission’s interpretation of the rule, Richardson explained.

“What that means is that until they get vegetation growing again, staff would work on mapping the measurement line and as soon as they have vegetation they could measure set back from, they’ll default back to the vegetation line,” he said.

The CRC moved to interpret the rule to allow use of the recession from pre-storm measurement line as described in the rule and the interpretation is that the pre-storm beach width is used as the minimum distance for that recession line.

MANTEO — A feast of local oysters will be served at the Dec. 15 Toast to the Coast Oyster Roast.

The Outer Banks Distilling will host the oyster roast set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 15, which will benefit North Carolina Coastal Federation’s efforts to restore coastal habitats and water quality

Unlimited oysters — until supplies run out — will be provided by Devil’s Shoal Oysters, Cape Hatteras Salts and Slash Creek Oysters and samples of the distillery’s rum lineup are included in the $20 ticket that can be purchased at the door.

Beer by Lost Colony Brewery and Outer Banks Brewing Station, wine by Sanctuary Vineyards and sides by Green Tails Seafood and Two Roads Tavern will also be available for purchase.

Contact Leslie Vegas at 252-473-1607 for more information.

Learn More

]]>NC Climate Change Council to Meet Dec. 19https://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/nc-climate-change-council-to-meet-dec-19/
Fri, 07 Dec 2018 14:30:09 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34070The inaugural meeting of the North Carolina Climate Change Interagency Council is set for Dec. 19 in Raleigh.]]>

Michael Regan

RALEIGH – The first meeting of the North Carolina Climate Change Interagency Council is set for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19.

The state Department of Environmental Quality’s Secretary Michael S. Regan will serve as the council chairperson.

“Governor Cooper has challenged all of us to work together toward a shared vision that will make us a more resilient, healthier, safer and competitive state. I look forward to working with my fellow Secretaries and engaging with our stakeholders to achieve those goals,” Regan said in a statement.

The meeting, which will be held in the William G. Ross Environmental Conference Center, 121 West Jones St., Raleigh, is open to the public. During the meeting, there will be an opportunity for public comment from individuals and organizations who want to provide input to cabinet agencies on their implementation of the Executive Order. Comments will be limited to two minutes and speakers will have the opportunity to sign up for speaking time when they arrive at the meeting.

Learn More

]]>Bill Would Ax Water, Park Trust Fund Boardshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/bill-would-ax-water-park-trust-fund-boards/
Fri, 07 Dec 2018 05:00:28 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34062The state Senate Thursday advanced a bill that would eliminate the oversight boards for the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and four other boards.]]>

RALEIGH – A state Senate bill that would eliminate the oversight boards for the Clean Water Management and Parks and Recreation trust funds and four other boards passed the Senate Thursday.

The 950-acre McLean Tract in Pender County is an example of a natural heritage area purchase funded in 2017 by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Photo: CWMTF

Sen. Andy Wells, R-Catawba, who last week introduced the measure, Senate Bill 821, said it was necessary due to a recent court ruling that the six boards are unconstitutional because they do not give the governor a majority of appointments.

Wells said his main beef was with the parks and clean water boards. “We’ve learned that the parks and recreation funding serves the Raleigh community extremely well,” Wells said during a hearing of the Senate Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources Committee Thursday morning. “Those of us that live in and around Mecklenburg County are at a significant disadvantage.”

CWMTF has a problem with its scoring for projects, he said, because it “favors those areas, particularly in the mountains, that are under no threat of development.”

Sen. Andy Wells

In an interview Wednesday evening, Wells said he supports the mission of both boards but has concerns with how the funds are being distributed. He said park funds have been too heavily weighted toward projects in the central Piedmont and clean water projects use a scoring system that favors protections for already pristine waters in the mountains, rather than for projects in areas where waters are more threatened.

Wells said he has been trying to work with the parks board to develop a park along the Catawba River, but the lack of progress had been frustrating.

During discussion in Senate committees on the bill Thursday, Sen. Erica Smith, D-Northhampton, pressed Wells on whether the bill was in reaction to the court ruling or out of his frustration about funding from the two programs.

Sen. Erica Smith

She pointed to legislation introduced late Tuesday by Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, that instead of eliminating the boards would reconfigure the number of appointments to comply with the court ruling.

She said Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order issued after the court ruling takes care of any legal issues with the boards and gives the legislature time to work out any difficulties with the structure.

“It is not the existence of the boards that is at error here, it is the composition of the appointments,” Smith said. She said Wells’ bill was “unnecessary and unwarranted and seeks to solve a problem that does not exist.”

Wells acknowledged that McGrady’s bill would solve the problem with the composition of the boards, but he said it would not address concerns about the regional disparity in funding or the project scoring for CWMTF.

Wells said neither bill would stop the functions of either organization and that any long-term solution would be worked out during the General Assembly’s 2019 long session.

The court ruling in McCrory v. Berger, a long-running, separation-of-powers case between the executive and legislative branches, affirms the governor’s right to appoint a majority on the boards and commissions that serve executive branch functions.

Rep. Pricey Harrison

“Those boards serve an important function,” said Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford. “They offer a variety of expertise in the decision-making process both on land conservation and water quality protections.”

Based on her own experiences serving on the Coastal Resources Commission and other boards, Harrison said it’s important to have the additional layer of review.

“There’s much better decision making when you have all parties at the table and that’s what these boards do.”

McGrady said Wednesday he did not think his bill would move, but that he expected the overall issue “to reach a resolution.” He noted that more than 20 GOP colleagues had signed on to his legislation.

Wells’ bill, which passed the Senate 21-8 on a mostly party-line vote, moved to the House, where it has been sent to the rules committee, the main gatekeeper for legislation during this year’s post-election legislative session.

If it is taken up by the House, the legislature will have little time to reach a compromise as it winds up a session aimed mainly at passing another round of hurricane-relief funding and enacting a Voter ID bill, which was a result of voters’ approval of a constitutional amendment to require photographic identification to vote.

Cooper is expected to veto the Voter ID bill and House and Senate leaders are likely to keep the legislature in session in order to override the veto.

With time growing short for the lame-duck session, Cooper would be able to run out the clock on any bill passed after Dec. 21. State law allows the governor to hold a bill for 10 days before deciding to veto it, sign it or let it become law without his signature.

The two-year legislative session ends Dec. 31. A new legislature is to be sworn in early January.

The Trump Administration is proposing to roll back Obama-era pollution regulations on coal power plants in an effort to pave the way for construction of new coal-fired power plants.

Andrew Wheeler

Environmental Protection Agency Acting Director Andrew Wheeler announced Thursday in an event that was live-streamed on YouTube the proposal to revise the New Source Performance Standards for greenhouse gas emissions from new, modified and rebuilt fossil fuel-fired power plants. The action would change how the EPA, under the Clean Air Act, determines the best system of emission reduction for these plants, replacing the 2015 determination that partial carbon capture and storage, or CCS, technology was best for new coal plants.

The EPA said CCS technology was “unproven” and characterized it as a way to discourage development of new coal power plants.

“Consistent with President Trump’s executive order promoting energy independence, EPA’s proposal would rescind excessive burdens on America’s energy providers and level the playing field so that new energy technologies can be a part of America’s future,” Wheeler said. “By replacing onerous regulations with high, yet achievable, standards, we can continue America’s historic energy production, keep energy prices affordable, and encourage new investments in cutting-edge technology that can then be exported around the world.”

But the agency’s own studies show construction of new coal plants appears unlikely. According to the EPA’s economic impact analysis for the proposal, “… even under the emissions limits included in this proposal, new fossil fuel-fired capacity constructed through 2026 and the years following is expected to be natural gas capacity.”

The live stream was cut short just as reporters present were allowed to ask questions.

When it came time for press questions and answers at EPA event announcing new coal plant CO2 rule proposal, this is what we saw on the livestream before it cut off: pic.twitter.com/0kGkgF4odn

The Sierra Club described the move as “another bid to help (Wheeler’s) former employers in the coal industry.”

The proposal, the organization said, will have little effect on the “declining coal industry” because of public pressure for climate action, competition from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind and the energy sector’s shift away from coal.

“Today’s decision by former coal lobbyist and acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is as tone deaf as it is irresponsible,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Senior Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “No new coal plants are being planned or built in the United States because coal is too dirty and too expensive.”

The Trump administration is seeking to prop up a “false narrative about reviving coal at the expense of science, public safety, and reality,” she said.

The EPA will accept comments on the proposed rule for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Learn More

]]>Cape Fear Museum Now Smithsonian Affiliatehttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/cape-fear-museum-now-smithsonian-affiliate/
Thu, 06 Dec 2018 17:51:32 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34043Cape Fear Museum and New Hanover County officially announced this week that the museum has been designated a Smithsonian Affiliate.]]>

WILMINGTON — Cape Fear Museum of History and Science has been designated as a Smithsonian Affiliate.

Superhero Science Family Night in November at Cape Fear Museum. The museum has been designated a Smithsonian Affiliate. Photo: Cape Fear Museum

Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach program created to make Smithsonian collections and resources available as well as connect other affiliates. Cape Fear Museum joins the more than 200 affiliated organizations in the nation, seven of which are in the state of North Carolina.

The museum and New Hanover County commemorated the designation with a ceremony Monday during the board of commissioners meeting.

“We are excited and honored to begin this new Affiliate relationship,” said Sheryl Kingery Mays, the museum director, in the press release. “We look forward to partnering with Smithsonian Affiliations to expand and strengthen our ongoing education and exhibition programs and gain greater access to Smithsonian’s resources and artifacts so we may better serve county residents, especially those living in our surrounding neighborhoods.”

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday, the museum will celebrate with refreshments and introduce residents to the perks of Smithsonian national membership. Membership through Smithsonian Affiliations allows members of Cape Fear Museum to also become members of the Smithsonian for a $125 annual sponsorship.

The museum also will screen a Smithsonian Channel film, “Earth From Outer Space” at 11 a.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Weekend events and Museum admission are free until further notice.

“The Cape Fear Museum truly is the ideal partner for Smithsonian Affiliations,” Myriam Springuel, director of Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations, said in a statement. “The museum is a cornerstone of the Lower Cape Fear creating exceptional exhibits and programs. The Museum has hosted a number of Smithsonian traveling exhibitions in the past, and we are happy to expand our relationship. Its resilient spirit and service to the community is an inspiration.”

Established in 1996, Smithsonian Affiliations is designed to facilitate a two-way relationship among Smithsonian Affiliates and the Smithsonian to increase discovery and inspire lifelong learning in communities across America.

Eastcut will be serving fresh oysters from 2 to 10 p.m. or until they run out, paired with Ponysaurus Brewing oyster saison beer. $1 from every pint of the oyster saison will be donated to the federation. There will also be live music provided by the Nash Street Ramblers from 4 to 7 p.m.

“Folks from Eastcut Sandwich Bar and Ponysaurus could not be more enthusiastic about supporting the federation’s efforts to restore oysters in North Carolina,” said Kelly Bodie, the federation’s membership director in a statement. “I know we’ll have a blast celebrating together.”

Bodie will be at the event to help attendees register for the Adopt-an-Oyster program that benefits the federation’s 50 Million Oyster Initiative. New “parents” will be able to follow their oysters’ growth on the North Carolina coast. The 50 Million Oyster Initiative is a three-year campaign to restore 50 million oysters to North Carolina waters in order to improve water quality, provide habitat for important marine life and improve local economies and tourism.

Contact Bodie at kellyb@nccoast.org for more details.

Learn More

]]>Area Photographer Focuses On Storytellinghttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/area-photographer-focuses-on-storytelling/
Thu, 06 Dec 2018 05:00:31 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34027Hatteras Island-based photographer Daniel Pullen sees himself as a storyteller, using his images to reveal a glimpse of life on the Outer Banks.]]>

“Stuck” by Daniel Pullen.

Daniel Pullen’s photographs are remarkable for their diversity: iconic images of the Hatteras Lighthouse or a fisherman on the beach early in the morning baiting his hook. There is a photo of a Jeep stuck on the beach, fantails of sand flying into the air as the driver struggles to free himself.

There are images of watermen and women, not beautiful depictions of a day spent on the water, but rather moments captured in time of a culture and way of life.

Daniel Pullen

There is also an image of a little girl, her face filled with joy as she rides a wave and just behind her, her mother smiles just as broadly.

“That photo means so much to me,” Pullen said. “That’s my best friend’s wife and daughter in that photograph. That’s where I grew up surfing. That photo for me brings back memories of learning to surf and boogie board.”

“I’d rather focus on telling the story versus just snapping pretty photos or showing the obvious,” he added.

For Daniel Pullen, photography is the pen, ink and paper of the storyteller. Some of his images are joyous, others reveal a glimpse of life on Hatteras Island where he lives. Some are of the mundane, but all his photos tell a story.

“A lot of the time can you tell the whole story in a one picture,” he said. “Sometimes you can’t do it. Sometimes you have to use a group of photographs.”

It did take him a while, though, to learn how to tell stories with his camera.

“Fish House” by Daniel Pullen

He grew up on Hatteras Island, a part of the surf culture and a hopeful artist.

“I was drawing and painting all the time,” he said. “I was doing art shows … and I remember seeing photographers coming here for just a couple of weeks out of the year and they would create these images come back next year with these prints and get it out to book stores and galleries and sell it. And I was like, ‘I live here. They’re here for two weeks and I live here … so I just grabbed a disposable and started taking shots.”

The art background helped but for Pullen, the images he was capturing with a camera held the missing piece of the puzzle.

“The one thing I always struggled with in painting or drawing was composition. With photography it really came relatively easy,” he said.

He eventually bought a single-lens reflex, or SLR, film camera—a Nikon F4—and noticed the difference immediately.

“My photographs may not have gotten better but they looked better,” he said.

“Oyster Roast” by Daniel Pullen

If the quality of the images was improving so was Pullen’s understanding of what he wanted to do with photography. He and his wife Kate began shooting weddings, providing him with financial stability; and he found that the camera could do more than just take pictures.

“I love shooting a wedding because you can story-tell,” he said. “That’s easy for me to say because I don’t have to sort through things and edit things. Kate has to do that. I struggle with that and I’m really slow.”

His first weddings were shot with film cameras, as were his early images of surfing and the surf, images that were starting to be noticed for their clarity, vision and composition.

Then the world changed. He had just purchased his latest film camera and was talking to legendary Outer Banks surf photographer Mickey McCarthy about it. Mickey gave him a vision of the future.

“Everybody’s switching over to digital,” he was told.

It took Pullen a while to understand what he had and how to use it. He didn’t have the money for the upper-end equipment. “I couldn’t afford the 500mm lens like Mickey McCarthy had,” he said. But he wanted to be in the water taking pictures, anyway, so a housing for his camera seemed ideal.

“Cape Point” by Daniel Pullen

“I bought my housing in 2007. I didn’t get a good shot until 2008. I didn’t know what I was doing. There were people I could have called to ask how to use it, but I was just too prideful to ask them,” he recalled.

He was also becoming more interested in the stories that surrounded him than the art shots of a wave or a lighthouse. When McCarthy died in 2016, he realized how important storytelling and people could been photography.

“I was looking through hard drives for photos of Mickey. I realized I only had 12 shots of Mickey. I had hundreds of photos of waves. And waves don’t age, but people do. I hardly have any pictures of Mickey, but I’d spent hours on the beach hanging out with him,” Pullen said.

It is the people that tell the story in his images. Sitting in his Buxton Gallery, he points to an image of a seine net stretched across the beach, reaching into the water to where a boy is standing. The photograph is striking, iconic in its simplicity.

To Pullen, however, it represents a missed opportunity.

“The actual story was he was fishing with his grandfather,” he said. How much better would that have been with the grandson and grandfather there?”

“Crabbin’ Tony” by Daniel Pullen

“I’m more focused on or intrigued … by the peripherals, what you don’t necessarily see in a magazine or online. If I have to stand on the beach and shoot, I lose interest as soon as surfers hit the water. If I can get a picture of a guy in the parking lot, of an interaction in the parking lot, that would mean more down the road,” he said.

Almost all of Pullen’s photographs are of Hatteras Island; it is where he grew up and lives. As his skill at telling stories with his camera improves increasingly he sees how important it is to record the changes he is witnessing.

“The original culture here is dying off. It’s slowly fading away,” he said. “With each generation it dies off. It’s one piece of culture that’s not going to be in existence anymore. The way people talk, the way people dress. It’s very important for me to document the culture.”

As he documents that culture, the tales he tells through the lens of his camera continues to evolve and he look for new ways to tell the stories he is seeing.

“As a writer are you writing the same stuff you did five or 10 years ago?” Pullen asks. “Why am I going to revert back and create images that are old to me or are stale?”

Learn More

]]>NPS Enters Into Oregon Inlet Marina Leasehttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/nps-enters-into-oregon-inlet-marina-lease/
Wed, 05 Dec 2018 15:04:27 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=34011The National Park Service has entered into a lease with Oregon Inlet Marinas, LLC, to provide for the maintenance and continued operation of Oregon Inlet Marina for use as a charter boat marina.]]>

Aerial view of Oregon Inlet Marina. Photo: NPS

DARE COUNTY — Oregon Inlet Marinas, LLC, and the National Park Service have signed a 20-year lease agreement for the company to operate Oregon Inlet Marina, Cape Hatteras National Seashore announced Tuesday.

The lease is effective Dec. 31. Oregon Inlet Marinas, LLC, managed by Russell C. King, will provide for the maintenance and continued operation of Oregon Inlet Marina, also known as Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, for use as a charter boat marina.

Oregon Inlet Marinas, LLC was selected to negotiate a lease for Oregon Inlet Marina in accordance with the request for proposals, or RFP, issued June 7 and closed Sept. 5. The National Park Service received multiple proposals in response to the RFP, selecting Oregon Inlet Marinas, LLC as the best responsive proposal in accordance with the selection criteria published in the RFP.

According to the press release, the lessee will be authorized the use of the marina premises for the following purposes:

Marina slip rentals only for charter fishing boats, or for-hire fishing vessels; headboats; tour boats; dive boats, collectively such boats and watercraft are referred to as “Commercial Watercraft”; and large commercial or governmental vessels such as dredges.

The rental of non-motorized watercraft such as kayaks, canoes and sailboats, excluding personal watercraft.

The sale by Lessee to the public of opportunities for activities on lessee-owned commercial watercraft.

The sale of other retail items not included above provided that the sale of such items is consistent with Park Area purposes.

Special events associated with the use of the marina for charter fishing boats, such as fishing tournaments.

Provision of a small children’s play area.

As Oregon Inlet Marina comes under new management, the National Park Service extended its gratitude to Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, LLC for its many years of providing charter fishing services on the Outer Banks.

“The Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and the talented captains docking at the marina have put Oregon Inlet on the map as one of the best offshore fishing destinations in the world,” said David Hallac, superintendent National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, in a statement.

Eighteen USGS stream gauges in North Carolina and 10 in South Carolina registered record-setting water levels, called peaks of record, according to the report, which looked at peak stream flow and water level data measured at 84 stream gauges in the Carolinas with records going back 10 years or more. In addition, 45 stream gauges in North Carolina and four in South Carolina recorded flows that ranked among the top five on record. Some of the sites with record-breaking flooding had more than 70 years of historical data.

“One thing we discovered while compiling this report was many of the new peaks of record set by Hurricane Florence broke previous records set by Hurricane Matthew in 2016,” Toby Feaster, USGS Hydrologist and lead author of the study, said in a statement. “Since several of the streamgage sites we analyzed had more than 30 years of historical data associated with them, it was interesting that a majority of the number one and two records were from back-to-back flooding events.”

]]>Climate Change, Cities Make Storms Wetterhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/climate-change-cities-make-storms-wetter/
Wed, 05 Dec 2018 05:00:23 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33980Two recently published studies show that urban development and the effects of climate change are contributing to the extreme rainfall and flooding of recent hurricanes.]]>

And according to two papers recently published in the science journal Nature, it’s all thanks to climate change and human activity. In some cases, cities themselves may be contributing to extreme rainfall.

The first paper simulated how 15 historically destructive hurricanes across the globe would have developed in different scenarios: pre-industrial, modern and three potential late-21st century climates. It found that climate change increased the rainfall from hurricanes Katrina, Irma and Maria by 4-9 percent and could cause up to 30 percent more storm-derived rain in the future.

Charles Konrad

This comes as many parts of Eastern North Carolina are still recovering from Hurricane Florence – a storm that dumped a reported 9 trillion gallons of rain across the state and raised the bar for flooding in North Carolina.

And while Florence arrived too late to be included in this research, it’s conceivable to draw lines between the two.

Charles Konrad, director of the Southeast Regional Climate Center and a professor in the geography department at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, agreed. He explained that Florence’s size and slow forward momentum were big factors in the amount of rain that fell.

“There needs to be proper research done, but there’s the suggestion that the sea surface temperatures are warmer in that part of the Atlantic (where Florence traveled), and so we can certainly hypothesize that the rainfall rates were a bit greater with Florence – at least slightly greater – because with the ocean being warmer, there’s more evaporation and water vapor going up into the atmosphere,” Konrad said. “That’s something, if properly done, a climate attribution study might effectively show.”

Urbanization

The second paper used data from Houston during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and compared it to models of that area if the city had never been built. The conclusion was that “urbanization exacerbated not only the flood response, but also the storm total rainfall” and the probability of extreme flooding events was increased around 21 times, according to the paper.

Accumulated precipitation for Hurricane Harvey in observations and different urbanization schemes and settings of Weather Research and Forecast model experiments.

Konrad explained that the tall buildings in Houston create a “surface roughness” that ends up putting more moisture into the air of a storm making landfall.

“When the winds carrying all this moisture hit these buildings, all of them together, you get more lifting and then that squeezes more rain out of the atmosphere,” he said. “It makes perfect sense.”

Sankar Arumugam, a professor and university faculty scholar at N.C. State’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, has researched similar trends for the Southeast.

He said that while a slow-moving hurricane will almost always come with drenching rains, combining that with an urban setting that tends to trap air and moisture can help increase precipitation.

“We clearly see a trend in the tropical storm contribution in the precipitation,” he said.

Sankar Arumugam

To see if some of that moisture is going back into the air, rather than into nearby streams or creeks and rivers, or streamflow, he compared the records of rainfall amounts with that of streamflow measurements.

“What we find is that they do exhibit the trend in terms of increasing amounts of tropical storm contribution … but we don’t see a similar trend on the streamflow,” Arumugam said.

“The point is that perhaps – and this is not a conclusion – but perhaps the rural watersheds dampen that (rain) signal better as opposed to urban watersheds.”

Konrad said that as hurricanes or tropical storms make landfall, there’s always some additional “uplift” as onshore winds hit the land surface and any trees or buildings that may be on it.

“So it’s really a scale thing, right? Houston is a very large city and there’s been a tremendous amount of development and there are quite a few tall buildings,” Konrad said.

“But it’s intriguing to think that, yeah, with a lot of tall buildings – take Myrtle Beach, for example, where there’s just miles and miles of tall buildings – perhaps is increasing the rates of rainfall there locally when tropical systems are making landfall.”

‘A New Normal’

These papers could not show a link between climate change and its effect on the intensity of hurricanes, but the scientific community has agreed for decades that the trending impact of human activity on the climate will result in more frequent extreme weather events.

“We know meteorologically that as the world warms, there’s greater potential for higher rainfall rates,” Konrad said. “There’s also been work, too, that shows a really marked slowing down of hurricanes – not every single hurricane … but you’re getting more situations where they move really slow or stall out like we saw with Hurricane Florence. That’s something that connects with climate change.”

More severe extreme weather events are something we need to get used to, he said.

“We need to really understand that this is basically a new normal that’s developing here,” Konrad said.

“We’re seeing extreme precipitation and flooding occurring at a higher frequency than we’ve seen in the past inland … We need to really rethink what the 100-year flood is. We need to think about these events that, in the past, we would consider to happen once every thousand years – these are occurring more frequently. And we need to really think hard about how to get more people out of harm’s way.”

Already on record as opposing offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, the chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners and Nags Head’s mayor signed a letter to the editor of the News & Observer protesting the National Marine Fisheries Service’s recent decision to approve seismic testing for undersea reserves.

Chairman Bob Woodard, who wrote the letter dated Dec. 2 with Nags Head Mayor Ben Cahoon, noted Monday that governors up and down the East Coast have objected to offshore testing and drilling. Coastal towns and counties have also rejected the idea.

Last week, the National Marine Fisheries Service gave its go-ahead for seismic surveys for oil and natural gas in the Atlantic, approving five companies for incidental harassment of marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Woodard said that even if no reserves are found, the process using sound waves threatens marine life.

“I would encourage you to continue to speak out,” Woodard said during the commissioners’ meeting Monday. “I know that our board is unanimous in opposition to this.”

]]>Corps Puts Limits On Dredged Sand Disposalhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/corps-puts-limits-on-dredged-sand-disposal/
Tue, 04 Dec 2018 05:00:59 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33958A Corps of Engineers policy adopted more than a year ago could mean big costs and other challenges for coastal towns and businesses that need to dispose of dredged sand from non-federal projects.]]>

Sunset Beach town officials are planning to use a privately owned landfill miles away to dispose of dredged sand from a proposed project to improve navigation in Mary’s Creek and Turtle Creek. Image: Moffatt & Nichol/Sunset Beach

OCEAN ISLE BEACH – Getting permission to dump sand in federally maintained dredged material disposal areas may not be entirely impossible, but a nationwide policy heavily restricts access for North Carolina coastal municipalities and businesses that have long relied on the sites.

If the Army Corps of Engineers’ Wilmington District office, along with local and state officials, can come up with ways to work around the policy, all indications are that it could come at a hefty price for non-federal users, including beach towns and private marina owners.

The policy indicates that while non-federal projects may apply to dispose of material on a Corps-maintained site if the project meets specific requirements, most federal projects are perpetual, and therefore “few” sites will have extra space.

Though the Corps’ nationwide guideline is more than a year old – it became effective Feb. 3, 2017 – word of it has gradually spread along the North Carolina coast.

The policy was the final topic of discussion at the state Coastal Resources Commission’s quarterly meeting held last week in Ocean Isle Beach, where one Corps official proclaimed the guideline “hit all of us by surprise.”

Justin McCorcle, an attorney with the Corps’ Wilmington district, explained to commission members that the decision to restrict sand disposal from non-federal projects was made to conserve space within federal dredged material placement facilities, or DMPFs.

“There are some disposal areas where we are going to run out of capacity before very long.”

— Justin McCorcle, attorney, Army Corps of Engineers

The issue stems from cases involving major harbor projects where the Corps has had to find new facilities to place dredged sand because the DMPFs were full, in part, with material from non-federal projects.

Only one of the federal disposal sites in North Carolina is full, McCorcle said.

“There are some disposal areas where we are going to run out of capacity before very long,” he said. “For the most part we’re doing OK.”

There is a distinction between “at capacity” and “full.”

Full means just that – no more room for sand.

When a site is at capacity, the Corps has the option to build higher dikes so more sand may be placed in the DMPF.

There is a limit to how high the dikes can be built so, “At some point those areas run out of space,” McCorcle said.

He said the Corps is examining the federally managed disposal sites in the state, looking at each disposal area and pinpointing potential opportunities to extend beyond the Corps’ 1,000-foot easement at these sites.

Sand in a DMPF can be removed and recycled, which would free up space and open the possibility of a trade-off.

Material excavated from a town-initiated, shallow-draft inlet dredging project, for example, could be placed in a federal disposal site if that town first removes an equal amount of sand from the DMPF.

So, if 100,000 cubic yards of sand is anticipated to be dredged from a non-federal dredge project then 100,000 cubic yards of sand must be removed from the DMPF in which the dredged sand is to be placed.

The Corps has been charging a disposal fee to place dredged material in its DMPFs, which in the case of North Carolina are primarily on state-owned land. That fee would be waived in a sand-for-sand trade, McCorcle said.

Material removed from a federally maintained disposal site could be used for a variety of ways. If sand is beach compatible it can be injected onto an ocean shoreline as part of a re-nourishment project. Sand may also be used to cap landfills or on construction sites.

The sand in the DMPFs is free. Costs associated with evaluating its quality and moving it are not, particularly at disposal sites that cannot be accessed by road.

Thus is the case for Sunset Beach, which recently applied for a Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, major permit to dredge Mary’s Creek and Turtle Creek.

About 16,000 cubic yards of material is anticipated to be dredged in the project, which is being conducted by coastal engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol.

In a letter dated Nov. 1 to the state Division of Coastal Management providing additional information about project plans, Moffatt & Nichol engineers wrote that dredged material from the creeks would be transferred to a dump truck or other type of hauling equipment at a state-maintained public boat ramp. The material will be moved from the boat ramp area and disposed at a landfill in Brunswick County.

This may be the disposal area for a majority of the estimated 105,000 cubic yards of material anticipated to be removed in town’s waterway dredging project, which includes about 3 miles of canals and feeder canals, Mary’s Creek, Turtle Creek and south Jinks Creek. A small amount of material identified as beach compatible will be placed on a portion of the town’s oceanfront.

“Things are still a little fluid because we are still in the permitting process for many other waterways,” Sunset Beach Mayor Greg Weiss said. “Our strong preference is to take the spoils directly from the dredge to its ultimate destination site at the landfill off Old Georgetown Road.”

Greg Weiss

The town’s consultant has been researching possible alternative disposal sites, including one privately owned lot along the Intracoastal Waterway, a prospective location that could save the town money.

“But we’ve really not investigated that further yet to see if it would provide for the environmental safety we’re looking for,” Weiss said.

Todd Horton, the Corps’ deputy chief of navigation, said the Corps is looking into options for the town to use one of its DMPFs. The DMPF in question cannot be reached by roadway, which means the town would have dredge or barge material from the disposal site.

“I’m not sure how council members will react to that but my impression is we will not go back to that alternative,” Weiss said.

The town is among a small number of non-federal projects in Brunswick County and New Hanover County that have been affected by the policy since it was enacted last year.

Coastal engineer Chris Gibson with TI Coastal Services Inc. headed the first project in the state to get hit with the new guidelines.

After much wrangling, Gibson said the Corps permitted the project at Southport Marina a one-time use at a disposal site.

“There’s got to be some way that we can work around this,” Gibson said. “There are places on the (Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway) that haven’t been used in years upon years and they’re not allowing those to be used? I deal with dozens of these projects every year. There really is no viable land. There are a few parcels here and there, but realistically these sites have to be proximate to a marina. You can’t just pump 15 miles.”

“In the not-so-distant future you’re going to see marinas that are no longer going to be viable.”

— Chris Gibson, TI Coastal Services Inc.

The implications of the policy, he said, could be grim for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, or AIWW, industry.

“In the not-so-distant future you’re going to see marinas that are no longer going to be viable,” Gibson said. “In two to three years small dredging companies will start to go out of business. Regionally, it will shut down all of the companies that do this kind of work.”

Each year more than $400 million in expenditures is generated by AIWW-based industries in North Carolina, New Hanover County Shore Protection Coordinator Layton Bedsole said at the CRC’s Nov. 29 meeting.

In contrast, the Corps’ annual budget for the AIWW is about $10 million, he said.

More than 10,000 jobs are associated with AIWW industry, he said.

Those figures were derived from the 2016 N.C. Beach and Inlet Management Plan.

“It appears to me that the Corps of Engineers was putting their deferred maintenance back on the non-federal users in order to continue economic and environmentally sound disposal practices of our AIWW industries,” Bedsole said in an interview following the CRC’s Nov. 29 meeting.

“We need to recognize that this did not come from the Wilmington district and it was handed to the Wilmington district and the initial all-or-nothing approach seems unnecessary especially along the waterways,” he said. “There should be a way that we can determine what are absolutely the Corps’ needs and what areas can be used for the mom-and-pop marinas, for the public accessway ramps, for the residential developments, for the academic research and development, for the nonprofit public use and commercial fishing needs. Surely, it can be better than all or none. I think there are options for the beneficial use of these materials. It will not be cheap to regain the capacity that has been lost over the past 50 years.”

The North Carolina Beach, Inlet & Waterway Association, or NCBIWA (pronounced “N.C. byway”), has formed a dredged material management committee, which is currently looking at ways in which sand dredged from non-federal projects can be used as a short-term solution.

The committee is also inventorying land – local, state and privately owned – that may be available for future disposal use.

“We are working on it,” Executive Director Kathleen Riley said. “First we have to find out what’s out there and we have to find out who owns it. Once we figure out the availability of the sites then we can find a way that we can come to an agreement to use some of that area. NCBIWA looks at the big picture and what we see over time is this will be a big issue at some point for the rest of our coastal communities. We want a long-term solution. That’s important.”

The Avangrid Renewables Amazon Wind Farm, the first commercial-scale wind farm in North Carolina, became fully operational in February 2017. Photo: N.C. Department of Revenue

Even as the18-month moratorium on land-based wind energy projects in North Carolina is set to expire at the end of the year, rural Tyrrell County has likely lost out for good on hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue from a proposed wind farm that was planned before the ban.

David Clegg

“We were one week away from the project developer having a public meeting in Tyrrell County so people could view maps and see where it would have been,” county manager David Clegg said in a recent interview. “Up until this moratorium, we had a contractor ready to construct wind mills in Tyrrell County.”

Known as the Little Alligator, the $200 million project that was being planned would have had 29 turbines erected on private land owned by timber company Weyerhaeuser.

Clegg said the wind project would have provided much-needed economic development in the coastal county, one of the poorest in the state, adding about $300,000 to the tax base.

The developer, RES Americas, is apparently no longer interested in Tyrrell County. “We have no plans to pick the project back up,” Alicia Rivera, marketing and communications manager for the company, said this week in an email.

A measure added during closed-door negotiations to House Bill 589, a popular bill that authorized homeowners to lease, rather than purchase, rooftop solar panels, the moratorium forbids the state Department of Environmental Quality from issuing permits for new and expanded wind power projects.

Sen. Harry Brown

At the time, state Sen. Harry Brown, a Republican from Jacksonville and the Senate majority leader, said the moratorium was needed to allow the legislature to do more study on the potential impact of wind turbines on military operations in the state. An appropriation of $150,000 was provided for new maps detailing military parameters.

Brown, a longstanding opponent of wind energy, did not respond to emailed and telephone messages seeking comment. He was one of 10 state legislators who had signed a letter to the Trump administration seeking to shut down the Amazon wind farm in 2017, claiming the 104 turbines affected Navy radar operations in Virginia.

Clegg said he was a member of the panel that worked for two years on the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and Dare County Range Joint Land Use Study, or JLUS, that was approved in May 2017. The study looked at the military operations in the area and potential conflicts, including wind farms. If there were problems with any operations, Clegg said, the military would shut them down if necessary.

“You have people apparently choosing to intervene on behalf of the military, when the military is not stating a problem.” Clegg said. “Why does the Department of Defense have to be protected by a state official in North Carolina?”

The Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and Dare County Range Joint Land Use Study was approved in May 2017.

But the North Carolina General Assembly was not persuaded that the panel was protecting the military interests, despite the military’s approval of the JLUS study.

“I made it clear we had the definitive maps,” Clegg said. “We reached out to the members of both the House and Senate and tried to explain what we felt that the joint land use study showed, and what it meant to Tyrrell County.”

State Sen. Erica Smith, a Democrat who represents Senate District 3 that includes Tyrrell, said in an email that the mapping overview that was ultimately produced earlier this year by contractor AECOM is currently available in a digital version only for legislators to review upon request at the Department of Commerce. The legislator would have to provide the GIS, or geographic information system, location and GPS coordinates to input into the software, and then the platform would identify all military operations and whether there were conflicts. The general public is not allowed access to the maps, she said.

Sen. Erica Smith

“In essence, there are no printable maps available for the public nor for members,” Smith said. “However, members of the General Assembly can access the database and receive information based on inputs.”

In an interview before the Thanksgiving holiday, Smith said that her understanding was that the moratorium would be allowed to expire, at least in part because its stated purpose – to provide time for additional study – had been fulfilled by the new maps. But she said the new maps were not needed, and the Republican leadership was unmoved by her arguments that Tyrrell County would lose “a once in a lifetime” economic development opportunity and that the military had no problem with the current maps.

“It’s very frustrating when you have those kind of policy makers,” she said. “The military did not request this. It was unwarranted and really unfair and almost bordering on unethical. It seemed to be based on the whims of one senator’s political prerogative, as opposed to doing what is best for North Carolina.”

Smith was also concerned about the long-term damage the moratorium has had on the wind energy development in North Carolina.

“This industry needs certainty, and this (policy) does not provide certainty,” she said.

Although another proposed project in Chowan County was delayed by the moratorium, Timbermill Wind is still on track to start operations by late 2020, according to Senior Development Manager Don Giecek.

The proposed Timbermill Wind project would include up to 105 turbines across about 15,000 acres of timber and agricultural lands. Map: Apex Clean Energy

The project recently received substation and transmission rights of way permits from the county and is in the process of obtaining state and federal permits, Giecek said in a Nov. 30 email. Developer APEX Clean Energy began work on the project in 2013 and has already paid more than $500,000 in lease payments to local landowners.

“Timbermill Wind will also benefit Chowan’s economy in the near term with construction jobs and local purchasing of materials and services,” Giecek said. “In the long term and in addition to the annual leaseholding, the project promises to bring sustained tax revenue to Chowan County for local governments and schools, as well as 30 years of local purchasing, employment and investment.”

Amazon Wind Farm US East in Pasquotank and Perquimans counties, the state’s first land-based wind farm, went fully operational in February 2017. In addition to the company’s initial $400 million investment, farmers are being paid a total of $320,000 a year in annual lease fees, and the counties are collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in property tax revenues a year, which will increase 1.5 percent annually over the 30-year life of the project.

Amazon developer, Avangrid Renewables is currently working on proposed development of the state’s first offshore wind project off Kitty Hawk. According to communications manager Paul Copleman, the company is in the early stages of the environmental studies and meteorological analysis and design for the site. He said the site assessment plan is expected to be submitted in the third quarter of 2019, and if all goes well, the project could be online as early as 2025.

As to the radar effects at the Amazon project, Coble said in an email that the results of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study affirmed “our cooperative work with the Navy on this matter and appropriate siting” of the turbines.

With Gov. Roy Cooper’s recently announced goal to reduce the state’s carbon emissions, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are poised to expand statewide, said Katharine Kollins, president of Southeastern Wind Coalition .

Costs for both wind and solar development have both dropped dramatically in recent years, she said, but right now solar is ahead of wind competitively in costs.

For the Southeast, wind resources are comparable to those in Europe, which in 2017 were 3.5 cents to 5.5 cents per subsidized kilowatt-hour. But turbines have to be taller in the Southeast than the Midwest, where wind power in 2017 cost 1.5 cents to 2 cents per kilowatt-hour. When the federal tax credit is completely phased out in 2019, Kollins said she that future location of wind production will depend on progress of increased efficiencies and cost cutting in the industry.

But the reality is that wind and solar industries already employ twice as many people as the coal industry, and jobs in the industry pay well. Last year, wind technician was the fastest growing job in the nation, with an average salary of $80,000 a year.

North Carolina lawmakers, for the time being, may have “successfully scared off” some wind power developers, Kolliins said, but she said that the conditions for wind energy development are still favorable in North Carolina.

“I think the public sentiment for renewables is higher,” she said. “I think North Carolina’s wind prospects for land are decent, but very good for offshore.”

The National Marine Fisheries Service has given its go-ahead for seismic surveys for oil and natural gas in the Atlantic, approving five companies for incidental harassment of marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The Incidental Harassment Authorizations include monitoring and mitigation measures for marine mammals such as humpback whales. Photo: NOAA Fisheries

Seismic blasting cannot begin until the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, issues its final permits.

The service’s Incidental Harassment Authorizations require monitoring, reporting and mitigation measures to reduce the harmful effects of survey activities on marine mammals. Observers are to be on board survey vessels to listen and watch for marine life and alert operators if a protected species comes within a certain distance.

Restrictions are to be placed on operations to eliminate or reduce impacts to sensitive species in their preferred habitats. Acoustic monitoring to detect marine mammal vocalizations beneath the ocean surface will be required. Seismic operations are to be phased in gradually to alert animals in the area and reduce potential for exposure to intense noise. Shutdowns will be required when certain sensitive species or groups are observed.

The authorizations cover operations along the Atlantic Coast from Cape May, New Jersey, to Cape Canaveral, Florida.

In developing its requirements for the authorizations, National Marine Fisheries said it reviewed five separate applications from companies involved in geophysical surveys using airgun arrays in the Atlantic Ocean and listened to public feedback on both the applications and proposed authorizations.

In a conference call with reporters Friday, Donna Wieting, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, said NOAA Fisheries had done “a very thorough job” in reviewing public comments and responding to them.

The authorizations are valid for one year after an approved company notifies NOAA Fisheries, as required, that they are set to begin surveys. The latest expiration date for authorizations is Nov. 30, 2020.

Environmental advocates noted Friday that BOEM had previously denied permits based on the risks to marine life outweighing the value of any information to be gleaned from the surveys.

“This action flies in the face of massive opposition to offshore drilling and exploration from over 90 percent of coastal municipalities in the proposed blast zone,” said Diane Hoskins, campaign director at the group Oceana. “These permits were already denied because of the known harm that seismic airgun blasting causes. President Trump is essentially giving these companies permission to harass, harm and possibly even kill marine life, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale – all in the pursuit of dirty and dangerous offshore oil. This is the first step toward offshore drilling in the Atlantic and we’re going to make sure coastal communities know what’s happening and fight this.”

Also, the Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast, which represents more than 42,000 businesses and 500,000 commercial fishing families from Maine to Florida, condemned the action.

“The Outer Banks business community depends on a clean and beautiful coast to support our multi-billion-dollar tourism, recreation and fishing industries,” said Karen Brown, president and CEO of the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce and also a member of the alliance. “The release of these permits puts us one step closer to oil-covered beaches and economic disaster.”

Learn More

]]>Feds to Extend Review of Red Wolf Rulehttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/feds-to-extend-review-of-red-wolf-rule/
Fri, 30 Nov 2018 15:25:27 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33934The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it will extend its review of a proposed rule to adapt its management of red wolves in North Carolina in light of a recent federal court ruling.]]>

U.S. Fish and Wildlife announced Friday that in light of the federal court ruling issued earlier this month, the agency will extend its review of a proposed rule to adapt its management of red wolves in North Carolina. The service did not specify the duration of the review.

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina Chief Judge Terrence W. Boyle ruled Nov. 5 that Fish and Wildlife violated provisions of the Endangered Species Act by discontinuing the Red Wolf Recovery Project in the northeastern part of the state.

“The additional review time will provide the Service the opportunity to fully evaluate the implications of the court decision,” Phil Kloer, a Fish and Wildlife spokesman for the Southeast Region, said in an email.

HOLDEN BEACH – Sand that Holden Beach has received for years to re-nourish its east-end oceanfront may instead go to a neighboring island, a prospect that caught town officials by surprise and questioning why the sudden change.

The town is now in the process of obtaining some 60 property easements in the hopes of getting a shot at receiving sand the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers routinely pumps from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, or AIWW, crossing at Lockwood Folly Inlet.

The Corps has since 2002 given the dredged material to Holden Beach, but Corps officials in late August told town officials that the town would have to get easements and, since Holden Beach’s neighbor to the east, Oak Island, needs fewer easements, that town may get the sand.

The news was a jolt to a town where its board of commissioners this past spring voted unanimously to withdraw a permit application to build a terminal groin at the east end, which loses about 60,000 cubic yards of sand a year, according to annual monitoring.

“We were taken aback by it,” said Holden Beach Commissioner Joe Butler. “We were disturbed at the meeting, we honestly were. For X number of years that sand from Lockwood Folly has been placed on Holden Beach. Financially, it makes more sense to do it that way. From a sand-drift perspective, it makes more sense to do it that way.”

Lisa Parker, chief public affairs officer of the Corps’ Wilmington District, said in an email that the Corps is not implementing a new rule on easements, but rather easements “should have been required all along.”

“In the past we have not required the town to provide us copies of easements to place sand on the beach,” Parker said. “Easements have always been required; as part of our preparation for doing these projects, we are now making sure they are in place before issuing contracts to do the work. The Corps has had permits to place beach compatible sand on adjacent beaches when dredging the AIWW for many years. The specific permit for the Lockwood Folly Inlet Crossing allows for sand to be placed on either Holden Beach or Oak Island.”

Holden Beach Town Manager David Hewett said he doesn’t understand why the Corps is requiring easements because the sand is placed below the high-tide mark, which is under state ownership.

“It’s below the high-tide mark, which, of course, ebbs and flows in the public trust area,” he said. “We’re proceeding with the attempt to acquire the easements, but our position is that it’s a redundant exercise.”

The implication of the Corps’ easement requirement will be wide-sweeping with other beach towns that have been the beneficiaries of sand dredged in federal projects having to supply documentation that can be timely and costly.

“The easement issue has never been an issue,” said Greg “Rudi” Rudolph, head of the Carteret County Shore Protection Office. “Now this time they’re telling us that we need easements. Any raised land, nourished beach becomes property of the state of North Carolina so why would you need easements of these upland areas anyway?”

A majority of the easements obtained along the Bogue Banks oceanfront are permanent, he said.

“Does the Corps want a spreadsheet showing all the parcels? Do they want a hard copy of them all? Are the ones we have not good enough?” Rudolph asked.

This view of Lockwood Folly Inlet looking west in January 2017 shows a beach re-nourishment project in the background. Photo: Holden Beach Property Owners Association

Holden Beach is paying Applied Technology and Management Inc., or ATM, $40,000 to conduct a modeling project within the inlet to help make the town’s case for the sand.

“We have accumulated some historical shoreline maps and provided those to the Army Corps of Engineers in support of our position,” Hewett said.

ATM is the same company that identified a 1,000-foot-long terminal groin as the preferred erosion-control method at Holden Beach’s east end.

One of the arguments made against the terminal groin was that routine re-nourishment of the east end, coupled with what is known as the Central Reach project, will be sufficient to combat erosion and less expensive than building a hardened structure.

Terminal groins are wall-like structures built perpendicular to the shore at inlets to contain sand in areas of high erosion, like that of beaches at inlets.

The first phase of the Central Reach project was completed more than a year ago and pumped about 1.3 million cubic yards of sand along about a 4-mile stretch of oceanfront in the middle of the island.

Hewett said sand from the federal dredging project has been routinely placed on about a three-quarters-of-a-mile stretch of beach.

These sand injections are included with the town’s beach monitoring program.

“It’s more than 1,000 meters,” he said. “Every two years it varies, but it’s not unheard of to get up close to 200,000 cubic yards.”

That’s not a lot of sand, but that amount is significant to the entire island, Hewett explained.

The town’s annual average erosion rate along the entire 9-mile stretch of oceanfront is about 200,000 cubic yards.

The ocean current washes sand onto and sweeps sand off Holden Beach’s oceanfront from east to west. This is known as a littoral current, which develops parallel to the coast as waves break at an angle to the shoreline.

“That sand benefits the entire island because it migrates east to west,” Hewett said. “The east end of Holden Beach is erosional and the west end of Holden Beach is accretional. That is a direct result of 40 years of putting the sand on the east end of Holden Beach and it migrating to the west.”

For that reason, he argues, it doesn’t make sense to place the sand on the west end of Oak Island.

“It’s a wrong decision from the logical side because of the east-west littoral drift,” Hewett said.

Holden Beach commissioners in October adopted a resolution which states, in part, “natural nearshore transport of sand via littoral drift occurs from east to west in Long Bay, making sand placement on the West End of Oak Island of time-limited benefit while increasing the negative impact on the LWF Inlet.”

Oak Island Town Manager David Kelly did not return a call seeking comment.

Brunswick County Deputy County Manager Steve Stone said he was surprised to hear that the Corps was requiring easements.

“The county does not have an official written policy about the placement or the deposition of the sand,” he said. “But, I think there’s a general consensus that there should be some sort of management plan where sand would be shared between those two communities on some sort of rational basis. The county’s policy is that we want our beach communities to be successful. Ultimately, the towns are free agents.”

Holden Beach anticipates spending roughly $30,000 in attorney fees to get the easements.

“We’re working just as hard as we can so, if we can, somehow through a Hail Mary so we can get what we can,” Hewett said.

]]>Training Mine Removed From Beachhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/training-mine-removed-from-beach/
Thu, 29 Nov 2018 14:39:59 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33911Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials say a training mine containing no ordnance was discovered Nov. 25 on the beach south of Salvo. National Park Service Rangers anchored it in place until a Navy explosive ordnance disposal team from Norfolk, Virginia removed it. Photo: National Park Service]]>

Featured Photo

Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials say a training mine containing no ordnance was discovered Nov. 25 on the beach south of Salvo. National Park Service Rangers anchored it in place until a Navy explosive ordnance disposal team from Norfolk, Virginia removed it. Photo: National Park Service

]]>Court Ruling No Guarantee for Red Wolveshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/court-ruling-no-guarantee-for-red-wolves/
Thu, 29 Nov 2018 05:00:33 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33895Wildlife advocates won a decisive victory earlier this month when a federal judge banned the capture and killing of red wolves on private property, but the endangered species' future isn't so clear. ]]>

A captive red wolf. Photo: B. Bartel/U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Even with a federal judge’s recent ruling in favor of conservation of red wolves in northeastern North Carolina, uncertainty remains whether reinvigorated management of the endangered species would be able to reverse course to save the world’s only wild population of the species – or whether the conditions exist to even try.

Only two or three dozen red wolves still roam the swampy forests and farmland within the 1.7 million-acre recovery area in Hyde, Tyrrell, Dare, Beaufort and Washington counties, down from the peak in 2006 of about 130. About 200 wolves also live in captivity.

In the Nov. 5 decision, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina Chief Judge Terrence W. Boyle declared the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated multiple provisions of the Endangered Species Act by discontinuing successful management tactics that controlled coyote hybridization and integrated captive wolf pups into the wild population.

Boyle also ordered a permanent ban on the capture and killing of red wolves on private property without proof that people, pets or livestock were endangered.

It was a clear victory for the plaintiffs, the Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife and the Animal Welfare Institute, at least for now. But the wolves’ future in the wilds of North Carolina will hinge on how Boyle’s decree is reflected in Fish and Wildlife’s final management rule, which was expected to be published by Nov. 30.

Inquiries to the agency seeking information about the impact of the ruling were referred to the U.S. Department of Justice, which did not respond to emailed questions.

The ruling stated that there no impediment for the court providing relief to plaintiffs “pending publication of a final rule.”

Released this summer, the “Proposed Revision of the 10(j) Rule for the Nonessential Experimental Population of Red Wolves in North Carolina” would dramatically downsize the wolves’ range to land in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and the Dare County Bombing Range in Dare and Hyde counties. Animals that strayed beyond that protected area could be killed. About two packs – 10 to 15 wolves – are estimated to currently live in the proposed range. Also, the proposed final rule would not restore coyote controls or release more captive-born wolves into the wild population.

“The proposed rule will not in any way remedy the legal violations,” said Sierra Weaver, senior attorney in Chapel Hill for the Southern Environmental Law Center, or SELC, which represents the plaintiffs. “You can’t simply take away these management measures.”

Sierra Weaver

Weaver said much of the rule-making process was done “behind closed doors,” so she said it is not surprising that the agency has not communicated about its response. As of this publication, the law center had not heard from Fish and Wildlife.

“What the agency is going to do is up to the agency,” she said. “To comply with the judge’s ruling, they’re going to have to go back to … those measures that they know had worked.”

D.J. Schubert, wildlife biologist with the Animal Welfare Institute, said it is a “bit of a waiting game” to see what the final rule will be when Fish and Wildlife finally puts it out, but the mandate in the Boyle’s ruling is not in doubt.

“It’s black and white on paper that a federal court has said (to) a federal agency . . . ‘What you’re doing is wrong and you have to fix it ’,” Schubert said. “The Fish and Wildlife Service knows what the tools are, so it’s not some mystery. They know what to do – it’s just a matter of them doing it.”

Local Opposition

Red wolves once roamed vast swaths of the southeastern U.S., but by the 1960s, predator controls, habitat loss and overhunting left the population decimated. Listed as endangered in 1967, the species was declared extinct in the wild in 1980. Some surviving wolves captured along the Gulf Coast were successfully bred in captivity for 10 years.

The proposed rule change would downsize the wolves’ range to land in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and the Dare County Bombing Range in Dare and Hyde counties. Map: U.S. Fish and Wildlife

In 1987, four pairs of pups were released in the Alligator River refuge, and within five years, there were about 30 wolves. At some point along the way, the recovery area was expanded to its current 1.7 million acres, encompassing public and private land in five counties. Before long, much to the surprise – and resentment – of farmers and other landowners, red wolves started wandering onto their property.

That was when the agency’s relationship with the community started to sour.

“Who gave the Feds the right to spread an endangered species throughout those 1.7 million acres of private or state ownership?” Wilson Daughtry, owner of Alligator River Growers and part-owner of Lux Farms, both in Engelhard, asked in a recent email.

Boyle’s ruling, Daughtry said, appears to have “given the pro-wolf advocacy groups the green light to try and force these animals upon the private landowners again, by applying pressure to FWS through his ruling.” And that, he added, “is a classic taking of private land for public use without just compensation.”

The problem is not so much that a wild predator is trespassing on their land – bear and fox are also prolific in the region – it’s that the landowner can’t do anything about it, he said. Red wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act, which is administered by Fish and Wildlife, and it is unlawful to kill them.

From Daughtry’s telling, it seems as if the program may have gotten off on the wrong foot soon after it started. Recounting an incident where a Hyde County landowner was arrested for shooting a red wolf that was in his pasture with his cows, he said the man was charged with a federal crime. Part of his penalty, in addition to a fine, he added, was cleaning the wolf pens.

“That guy thought he was going to serve some serious time for what he did,” Daughtry said. “How do you think he, his family and his community now feel about the Red Wolf program?”

Without compensation, no landowner that he knows in the recovery area would back the program, Daughtry said. On the contrary, he said, people feel as if the agency is “shoving the wolves down our throats” and that the agency misled them and can’t be trusted.

A billboard on U.S. 264 just west of Creswell represents how some landowners feel about the red wolf recovery programs policies. Photo: Contributed

Tyrrell County landowner Jett Ferebee took the helm about six years ago for other landowners in the recovery area who oppose the red wolf program. Since then, he has been a vocal advocate for elimination of the program, and has succeeded in getting attention and support from state and federal public officials. Ferebee has contended in numerous published letters and comments that the red wolf is really just a coyote hybrid and undeserving of protection, and that the recovery program is a failure and a waste of taxpayers’ money. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission also contends that coyote inbreeding has doomed the recovery program.

But intentional killings by gunshot and poisoning may have been more of a threat to the wolf, with incidences increasing over the years. Some of the shootings were the result of mistaken identity, with the shooters confusing the wolves for coyotes.

When the recovery program was going full steam in the 2000s – the program’s goal initially had been 220 wolves in the wild – biologists were having wonderful luck with mother wolves accepting captive wolf pups, sprinkled with a little urine from a wild pup, that were added to dens when she left to hunt. Many wolves were fitted with tracking collars, and the number of packs, dens and births every year were counted and monitored by a recovery team based at the Alligator River refuge.

Another very successful management technique to limit coyote hybridization involved capturing and sterilizing coyotes, and then returning them to where they were captured. The coyote instinctively would hold the territory, in the process keeping out fertile coyotes. As the law of the jungle – or forest – would have it, a bigger wolf would eventually show up, dispatch the coyote, and move in.

But when more wolves were killed, whether by vehicle strikes or gunshots, it disrupted the balance, allowing fertile coyotes to slip back through holes created by absent wolves. Furthermore, the deaths would sometimes remove half of a mating pair, or a mother caring for pups, negatively affecting their reproduction.

By 2012, Fish and Wildlife, responding to decreased political and community support, started scaling back the program, and eventually eliminated much of the active management, including pup fostering and coyote sterilization.

Schubert said that, despite the antipathy from some landowners, many have been very supportive of the red wolf recovery program. Still, successful management efforts have to include working together with landowners and hunters, she said. “Fish and Wildlife has learned over the year that engaging with the local community is critical,” she said. “I hope they would reconsider how they view the red wolf and not view the red wolf as an enemy … They can be part of a conservation success story.”

Additional habitat also must be found for the red wolf, otherwise the species recovery range is in danger of going from “one to none,” Schubert explained. “It’s really risky to have a single recovery area.”

The Endangered Species Act, “one of the strongest and best laws in the world” for recovery of species, Schubert said, operates with an understanding that the act wouldn’t be capable of recovery of every species only on federal land. “It really requires buy-in and cooperation from private landowners,” she said.

The best science is supposed to dictate management, Schubert said, but it doesn’t mean landowners’ rights can be ignored. They should be kept informed of management actions. At the same time, she said, landowners also have responsibilities to participate in the rule-making process.

“But the reality is, if we are to protect the amazing diversity we have in North American, that includes uses of the land to protect endangered species. It just requires more effort to make sure you get the required permits.”

An analysis by Wildlands Network provided in a Nov. 1 press release found that nearly 99 percent of the more than 108,000 comments on the proposed rule submitted to Fish and Wildlife supported strong federal protections for red wolves. The same percentage of support was evident in comments submitted just by North Carolinians, and by nearly 80 percent of comments submitted by those living in the five-county recovery area.

Gov. Roy Cooper also expressed support for the recovery program in a comment submitted to the wildlife service.

‘Dastardly Acts’

Ron Sutherland, conservation scientist with Wildlands Network, said that in light of Boyle’s stern rebuke of Fish and Wildlife, it would great if the agency went back to its prior adaptive management strategies. At least, he is hoping that the ruling will result in more oversight over the agency’s management of the red wolves.

Ron Sutherland

“It makes me feel good inside that the federal agency is not getting away with violating the spirit of the Endangered Species Act,” he said. “There were so many dastardly acts that were done in the last three or four years.”

Sutherland said that the wolves have been blamed unfairly by hunters for decreases in deer populations.

Since 2015, he has led an effort by Wildlands Network to photograph wildlife in northeastern North Carolina using motion-detection cameras with infrared light for night shots. Thousands of photographs, posted on the photo-sharing site Flickr, show wolves, coyote, bear, deer, fox and various other wild animals going about their business. It also showed, Sutherland pointed out, that there are plenty of deer.

Recent photographs, he said, captured groups of two or three wolves in the Alligator River refuge.

In July, the group hired a woman to conduct outreach in the community, Sutherland said. One project they’re planning is to partner with landowners to install motion-detection cameras on their property.

Sutherland said he is “cautiously optimistic” that Fish and Wildlife will do more to help the red wolves and that the recovery effort can turn the corner.

Whatever the agency’s response turns out to be, Weaver said that community outreach by Wildlands Network and the Southern Environmental Law Center’s clients could go far in restoring “peaceful co-existence” with wild red wolves.

“What we know is that the public overwhelmingly supports red wolf conservation,” she said. “There has been a very, very small number of incidences with these animals … that’s all a red herring.”

]]>Satellite Captures 2018 Hurricane Seasonhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/satellite-captures-2018-hurricane-season/
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 16:34:52 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33896The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season ends Nov. 30, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted this year will be remembered most for hurricanes Florence and Michael and the damage they caused in the Southeast. For the first time, the GOES East satellite was able to see the entire Atlantic basin, allowing for a view of storms as they form off the coast of Africa and then enter the Atlantic.

The season produced 15 named storms, including eight hurricanes of which two were “major,” or Category 3, 4 or 5. An average season has 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes, according to NOAA.

]]>Waterfowl Weekend Set, Despite Damagehttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/waterfowl-weekend-set-despite-damage/
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 05:01:04 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33861The destruction wrought by Hurricane Florence on the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center is not getting in the way of Waterfowl Weekend. The annual celebration kicks off Friday, as planned.]]>

This classic Core Sound blackhead decoy by Walter “Brother” Gaskill is up for bid in the 2018 Waterfowl Weekend online auction. The waterfowl weekend is an annual celebration at the Core Sound Waterfowl Weekend on Harkers Island. Photo: Contributed

HARKERS ISLAND – This tight-knit, unincorporated community in Down East Carteret County felt the brutal strength of Hurricane Florence bear down on its homes, churches and its meeting place, the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center.

The museum is more than just a structure housing artifacts and a venue to host weddings, it serves as place to remember and honor the past, and to celebrate the community as it is today.

Before work could begin restoring the museum following Hurricane Florence, boxes of artifacts and other displays were removed from the second floor of Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. Photo: Jennifer Allen

The museum suffered thousands of dollars in damage after the mid-September hurricane. While all artifacts — decoys, artwork, documents, recordings and records — survived unscathed and are being stored offsite, there’s much work to do to the 22,000-square-foot building, which has had 75 percent of the drywall removed and 90 percent of the flooring removed since the storm.

Though there are months’ worth of repairs ahead and no reopening date scheduled for the museum, that’s not stopping staff, volunteers and supporters from celebrating their community with the annual Waterfowl Weekend held the first weekend in December.

“There never was a question about if or where Waterfowl Weekend would happen – here on this place of ours. We had to prove to ourselves we can do it and reassure everyone who has invested in us and this building to know their trust was, and is safe, no matter how hard the wind blows,” Karen Amspacher, the museum’s executive director, told Coastal Review Online.

She added that the museum staff members were eager for everyone to see how strong the building is and how much work remains.

“Those who were here during the early years will remember the framing from all those years we raised money and built this museum ‘one important piece at the time.’ We can do it again — and we will. Everyone knows now how important this place and all the work we do is, and they will make sure we are back again, stronger than ever, come spring,” she said.

The island will be bright with festivities starting with the Friday Night Preview Christmas Celebration at the museum.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Friday for the Core Sound feast of seafood, game and fancy desserts, catered by Beaufort Grocery Co. and friends, and the fourth annual Janice Smith Champagne Waterfowl Decoy Competition, when detailed decoys small enough to fit into a champagne glass are judged and awarded. Attendees can also get a peek at the vendors and artisans. Tickets are $75 per person and reservations are recommended.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, folks can visit with the more than 75 exhibitors and crafters, including carvers, artists and photographers who will be set up in the hull of the building, taste local seafood and bid on silent auction items. Bidding began Nov. 23 online.

Vivian Howard of the Kinston restaurant Chef & the Farmer and the Public Broadcasting System’s TV series “A Chef’s Life” will make her way Down East for a book signing from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. Copies of her book, “Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South,” can be reserved at coresound.com or by calling 252-728-1500.

“When you call (eastern North Carolina) home, storms and the mess they make are part of your reality. Those storms are also part of what makes us a resilient people, especially those living at the water’s edge. I’m inspired by the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center’s determination to continue on with their annual celebration, Waterfowl Weekend, even though both the building and the surrounding community are damaged,” Howard told Coastal Review Online in an email. “I look forward to signing books, hopefully hearing some classic Down East accents and learning more about Carteret County food traditions.”

Amspacher said in a statement that Core Sound welcomes Howard to Down East “to be part of our most important weekend of the year, Waterfowl Weekend.”

“We believe she will find this to be a place that appreciates her commitment to local foods and the importance of community food traditions with a deep understanding of how what we cook reflects our place in the world. We hope this will be the first of many visits ‘to the end of the road’ to share recipes and stories of home and the people who grow, catch and cook the foods we love.”

This year, Waterfowl Weekend organizers have added a new event, a food truck round-up, which will start at 5 p.m. Saturday evening. Visitors can grab a bite while waiting to see the lighting of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse at 6:30 p.m. Carteret County musician Morris Willis will provide entertainment throughout the evening. The lights will again shine on the iconic lighthouse 6:30-9:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Dec. 24.

Cape Lookout National Seashore announced Tuesday that the exterior of the lighthouse will be illuminated Saturday to recognize the effort of the museum and Down East communities “to keep the annual Waterfowl Weekend going, despite the terrible destruction taken from Florence’s winds and rains.”

As in years past, there will be a Sunday church service and breakfast during Waterfowl Weekend beginning at 8 a.m. at the museum. This is a time to reflect with Harkers Island natives Corey Lawrence and Kerry Willis who will share Christmas memories. After the service will be a Core Sound Family Day with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus ready for photos starting at 1 p.m. The announcement of the Harkers Island Decorating Contest winners begins at 2 p.m. The Core Sound Christmas Shop will be open at the museum all weekend, too.

“This year has been yet another ‘test’ of our determination and commitment and once again, you have overwhelmed us with your caring support and willingness to work,” Amspacher wrote in a letter to museum supporters. “Thank you for helping us write the next chapter of Core Sound’s history with courage and a renewed appreciation for the community that we are. Thank you for the overwhelming support you have given to our Down East communities, over $100,000 raised, and the concern and caring you have extended to the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center. We have work to do, but ‘we can do hard things.’”

Shuttles will be available Saturday and Sunday to transport visitors between the 31st annual Core Sound Decoy Festival at Harkers Island School and the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center for the Waterfowl Weekend.

HARKERS ISLAND — The Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild is not letting a hurricane stand in the way of tradition. The organization is hosting its 31st annual Core Sound Decoy Festival at Harkers Island School.

“Many of our members have been greatly affected by hurricane Florence. Its heartwarming to see our strong ‘decoy’ community as well as the local community in general all come together in trying times,” said Jerry Talton, the guild’s vice president.

The decoy guild is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of waterfowl carving heritage that began with the meeting of a group of decoy carvers in August of 1987 and decided to host its first festival the following year.

“I hope that everyone is as excited about the 31st annual Decoy Festival as I am. We will have carving competitions, children’s decoy painting, artifacts displays, a live auction and over 100 decoy vendors as well as many other fun things to do and see,” said Talton.

In addition to carving competitions, there will be children’s decoy painting and retriever demonstrations. Sunday’s events include a decoy head carving contest, the awards presentation, announcement of the 2019 featured carver and bird and raffle drawing winners.

There is an online catalog of items this year’s auction that starts at 1 p.m. Saturday. Preview is at 10 a.m.

Admission is $8 daily and children under 12 get in at no charge. Sunday is Youth Day with free admission for those younger than 18.

Talton added that the art for this year’s poster and merchandise features a belted kingfisher, a common sight in the area. The art is the work of Walter “Brother” Gaskill, a past featured carver.

Shuttles will be available Saturday and Sunday to carry visitors Core Sound Decoy Festival and the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center for the Waterfowl Weekend.

Learn More

]]>Lake Mattamuskeet Plan to be Unveiledhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/lake-mattamuskeet-plan-to-be-unveiled/
Tue, 27 Nov 2018 19:10:30 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33588A public symposium will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 3 in Engelhard to review the final Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed Restoration Plan.
]]>

The final draft of the watershed management plan for Lake Mattamuskeet, shown here, will be presented Dec. 3. Photo: Contributed

SWAN QUARTER — After two years of development, the final Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed Restoration plan will be unveiled during a public symposium.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation will host the meeting set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 3 at Martelle’s Feed House Restaurant in Engelhard. Registration is required for the free event that will include lunch. Attendees are encouraged to review the draft available online before the meeting.

The meeting agenda includes a summary of the lake’s condition and an overview of the priority actions that were selected by the stakeholder team, according to the press release. Additional presentations and panel discussions will focus on drainage water management, conservation programs and outline the next steps for the plan’s implementation.

The plan was developed through a partnership between Hyde County, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The federation facilitated stakeholder and public meetings and developed the plan for approval by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s 319 Program.

Contact Erin Fleckenstein, coastal scientist for the federation’s Wanchese office, at 252-473-1607 for more information. In the event of severe weather, the event will be rescheduled. Contact the Wanchese office or check the website for more information.

Learn More

]]>Sam’s Field Notes: Wildlife Festivals Aheadhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/sams-field-notes-wildlife-festivals-ahead/
Tue, 27 Nov 2018 05:00:26 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33816Celebrate North Carolina's wildlife during Swan Days Festival at Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge and Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival encore, both the second weekend in December.]]>

Swan Days Festival and Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival encore, both the second weekend in December, offer several opportunities to explore nature. Photo: Sam Bland

“Hear the music, the thunder of the wings. Love the wild swan” — Robinson Jeffers, American poet

The warm, long golden days of summer are behind us, blown aside by the windy cold fronts bellowing out of the Arctic. Hitching a ride on these southbound frigid blasts of air are tundra swans. The silent hands on nature’s clock have activated the alarm. Urged on by instincts for eons, the swans have followed an invisible highway etched in the sky by previous generations.

These large white birds with a long elegant neck will sometimes cruise along at 50 miles per hour and as high as 5 miles up to reach their destination. Many things in nature are constant, yet, they represent a change.

As reliable as the sun rising out of the darkness and into a new day, each autumn the tundra swans return to the lakes and fields of northeastern North Carolina.

Also known as the whistling swan, explorer Meriwether Lewis designated them as such due to the sound its wings make while flying. The more formal name, tundra, indicates the location of its breeding grounds high in this Arctic habitat. Here, the swans nest and raise their young during the short warm summer before migrating close to 2,500 miles to the east coast.

From high in the sky, their destination stands out like the bull’s eye on a target. Lake Mattamuskeet, at close to 18 miles long and 5 miles wide, is an important way station for migratory waterfowl along the Atlantic Flyway.

As the swans begin to trickle in during November, the lake provides the perfect habitat for the birds to survive the winter and fatten up before the return trip in the spring. The 40,000-acre lake is shallow with an average depth of about two and a half feet. This is ideal for the swans to reach submerged vegetation with their long necks.

Managed as a National Wildlife Refuge, it also includes 2,600 acres of marsh impoundments that provide food and cover for the birds.

The expansive agricultural fields surrounding the refuge are also loaded with kernels of golden corn, littered by the harvester, which the swans will quickly scavenge.

Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for migratory birds, including the tundra swan, Canada goose and other species. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

As thousands of the swans converge on Lake Mattamuskeet, the National Wildlife Refuge and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission organize a daylong festival of activities to celebrate their arrival. Known as Swan Days, the event is held annually on the second Saturday in December, this year set for Dec. 8.

Events for the festival are staged out of the Mattamuskeet High School on U.S. 264 starting at 10 a.m. All parking for the event is at the high school and shuttles will transport participants for the activities conducted in the refuge, including the popular guided birding tram tours. Some activities will be in the refuge and some will take place at the school.

Free activities include birding tram tours, a lecture on the history of Lake Mattamuskeet, Sylvan Heights Bird Park display with live birds including a black swan, kids programs, decoy carving, “Lunch with the Guides” storytelling with tour guides and nature photography workshop. Additionally, there will be presentations offered on several topics such as the diversity of bird life around the lake, the Mattamuskeet Lodge renovation and Native American history as well as an exhibit by the North Carolina Estuarium on local plants and animals and vendors with arts, crafts and food.

Swans are a fixture in cultural lore throughout the world and have come to represent love, beauty, purity and grace. As they feed in the fields, marshes and on the lake, the chorus of their calling can be heard from great distances.

It is an enjoyable sound to hear, so much so that E.B. White wrote in his children’s book “Trumpet of the Swan,” that “There is nothing in all the world I like better than the trumpet of the swan.”

Swan Days isn’t the only wildlife-related festival going on during the second weekend in December.

Nearby, the encore edition of the Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival will be offering birding field trips at the Alligator River, Pea Island and Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuges and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The event was started in 1997 to inspire the public to visit and learn about the diversity of wildlife and their habitat within our National Wildlife Refuges.

Sponsored by the Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society as an annual fundraiser, the bulk of this event occurs in mid-October with more than 80 field trips venturing into six refuges.

American Avocet may be spotted during the Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival the second weekend in December. Photo: Sam Bland

Since many migratory bird species aren’t present during the October session, an encore session of 13 field trips is offered Dec. 7-9.

The field trips, led by expert trip leaders, will venture into the refuges to look for a variety of migratory waterfowl, song birds, shorebirds and birds of prey species.

Birds aren’t the only game in town though; the refuges are also home to black bear, red wolves, river otters, foxes and bobcats. Each year these animals are routinely sighted during the outings. Registration and a fee are required to attend these field trips.

These two events offer an extraordinary opportunity to get outdoors and connect, reconnect or continue your love affair with nature by observing some magnificent wildlife. It’s waiting for you, just go!

Learn More

]]>State Proposes Chemours Pay $12M Penaltyhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/state-proposes-chemours-pay-12m-penalty/
Mon, 26 Nov 2018 18:26:43 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33804The state Department of Environmental Quality is accepting until Dec. 21 public comment on a proposed consent order that will require Chemours to drastically reduce GenX air emissions, provide permanent replacement drinking water supplies and pay a $12 million civil penalty.]]>

A proposed consent order will require Chemours to provide permanent replacement drinking water for those exposed to certain levels of contamination released into the Cape Fear River by the company’s Fayetteville Works facility. File photo

RALEIGH – The deadline is Dec. 21 for public comment on a proposed comprehensive resolution regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, contamination originating from Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility.

The proposed consent order announced last week between the Department of Environmental Quality, Cape Fear River Watch and Chemours requires the company to “dramatically reduce GenX air emissions, provide permanent replacement drinking water supplies and pay a civil penalty to DEQ,” according to the release.

The civil penalty to be paid to DEQ is $12 million and an additional $1 million for investigative costs. Additional penalties will apply if Chemours fails to meet the conditions and deadlines established in the order.

Michael Regan

Comments on the proposed order can be submitted by Dec. 21 either by email to comments.chemours@ncdenr.gov or mailed to Assistant Secretary’s office, RE: Chemours Public Comments 1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1601.

“People deserve access to clean drinking water and this order is a significant step in our ongoing effort to protect North Carolina communities and the environment,” said DEQ Secretary Michael S. Regan in a statement. “Today’s (Nov. 21) announcement advances the science and regulation of PFAS compounds and gives North Carolina families much-needed relief. I appreciate the hard work of DEQ’s dedicated and talented staff to help achieve this result.”

The proposed consent order includes requirements that Chemours must follow to ensure the protection of human health and the environment including:

Provide permanent drinking water supplies by either a public waterline connection or whole building filtration system for those with drinking water wells with GenX above 140 parts per trillion or applicable health advisory.

Provide, install and maintain three under-sink reverse osmosis drinking water systems for well owners with combined PFAS levels above 70 parts per trillion or any individual PFAS compound above 10 parts per trillion.

Reduce air emissions of GenX through control technology with a schedule of reduction milestones.

Complete construction of new emission controls to achieve a 92 percent reduction of facility-wide GenX compound air emissions compared to the 2017 baseline level by Dec. 31.

By Dec. 31, 2019, install a thermal oxidizer to control all PFAS from multiple process streams, demonstrate PFAS reductions at an effectiveness of 99.99 percent efficiency and a 99 percent reduction facility-wide for GenX emissions compared to the 2017 baseline level.

Continue to capture all process wastewater from its operations at the facility for off-site disposal until a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit is issued that authorizes discharge of process wastewater.

Conduct health studies to determine potential health risks associated with the release of PFAS compounds into the environment.

Sample drinking water wells at least one-quarter mile beyond the closest well that had PFAS levels above 10 parts per trillion as well as annually retest wells that were previously sampled.

Submit and implement a plan for sampling all process and non-process wastewater and stormwater streams to identify any additional PFAS.

Submit to DEQ for approval a Corrective Action Plan that, once approved, is implemented and reduces PFAS contributions in groundwater along the Cape Fear River by at least 75 percent.

Notify and coordinate with downstream public water utilities when an event at the facility has the potential to cause a discharge of GenX compounds into the Cape Fear River above the health goal of 140 parts per trillion.

Learn More

]]>Hazard Mitigation Program Open House Sethttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/hazard-mitigation-program-open-house-set/
Mon, 26 Nov 2018 17:50:01 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33793An open house 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday on the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program is being offered for flood-prone property owners in Jacksonville.]]>

Jacksonville property owners who experience or could experience flooding are encouraged to attend an open house Thursday on the FEMA hazard mitigation program. Photo: City of Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE — Property owners who have experienced or could experience flooding in the future are encouraged to attend an open house Thursday about the Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Program.

The state Emergency Management and FEMA following storms work with communities on hazard mitigation with the goal to reduce or eliminate the impacts to people and property from natural hazards, according to a release from the city.

During the open house scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at city hall, 815 New Bridge St., there will be individual discussions as well as a presentation on the hazard mitigation program that could help provide opportunities for lowering risks to property owners.

Examples of hazard prevention efforts include the following:

Raising up flood-prone properties

Buying homes found in high hazard areas

Giving help in updating local hazard prevention plans

Showing businesses ways to lower risks

Promoting good growth and building practices outside of high-hazard areas

After federally declared disasters, FEMA provides designated funds for hazard mitigation projects while state Emergency Management works with local governments to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters and develop long-term strategies to protect people and property during such events.

]]>Carteret to Re-advertise Beach Project Bidhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/carteret-to-re-advertise-beach-project-bid/
Mon, 26 Nov 2018 16:40:28 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33785With only one bid received by deadline Tuesday, Carteret County will have to wait until a second and final bid opening on Dec. 4 before considering awarding a contract for a major Bogue Banks beach re-nourishment project planned for this winter.]]>

The areas and proposed amounts of sand to be placed on the beach in eastern Emerald Isle, Salter Path and Indian Beach if the proposed beach re-nourishment project moves forward this winter. (Contributed graphic)

EMERALD ISLE — Only one firm submitted a bid by the Tuesday deadline for a major beach nourishment project set for this winter, the Carteret County News-Times reported.

Because less than three bids were received, “the project will be advertised for an additional week until bids are opened,” according to the bid document released in October on Post-Florence Renourishment Project – Phase 1.

The county will re-advertise the bid with a second and final bid opening at 1 p.m. Dec. 4 in the conference room of the town administration building. A bid can be awarded after the final bid opening.

The only bid, which was from Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. of Illinois, was not opened Tuesday under state law.

The total project is estimated to cost $17,498,135 and is to include 945,500 cubic yards of sand, 178,100 square yards of dune planting and possibly sea turtle trawling and relocation.

Initially the nourishment project was planned for eastern Emerald Isle, Indian Beach, Salter Path and Pine Knoll Shores, which was then excluded for cost before Hurricane Florence. Following the storm, project plans changed to include more sand for eastern Emerald Isle, Indian Beach and Salter Path to make up for sand lost because of Florence.

Revenue for the county’s beach nourishment fund comes from the county’s occupancy tax, which would fund most of the project. Emerald Isle, Indian Beach and the county’s general fund for unincorporated Salter Path each would pay a share based on the amount of sand received.

The county and the towns will try for sand replacement cost reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Former Emerald Isle town manager Frank Rush had said he planned to ask FEMA to reimburse the town $40 million for the cost of replacing 2.2 million cubic yards of sand lost during the storm. Rush’s last day was Nov. 21.

Figures from a post-Florence survey by Moffatt & Nichol, the county’s beach engineering firm, show that Indian Beach and Salter Path lost about 445,000 cubic yards and Pine Knoll Shores lost 576,000. Estimates for FEMA reimbursement requests for Emerald Isle, Pine Knoll Shores and Salter Path and Indian Beach could reach $59 million or more, based on an estimated figure of $18.51 per cubic yard.

Atlantic Beach, which lost about 400,000 cubic yards, is not eligible for FEMA reimbursement because the town receives free sand from dredging projects at the state Port at Morehead City.

If no awardable bid is received, the county could wait for a decision from FEMA on reimbursement and attempt in the winter of 2019-20, a project that would cover the entire 3.2 million cubic yards of Florence loss spanning the 18 miles of beach from the western tip of Emerald Isle to the Atlantic Beach city limits.

]]>Navassa: Contamination Research Continueshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/navassa-contamination-research-continues/
Mon, 26 Nov 2018 05:00:18 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33765With creosote levels at the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. Superfund site in Navassa still a concern, state and federal agencies plan to continue researching the contamination.
]]>

A welcome sign and the fenced-off Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. site greet visitors at the Navassa city limits. Photo: Mark Hibbs

NAVASSA – The hope, in the end, is that less than half of the 245-acre grounds of a former wood-treatment facility here will be labeled a federal Superfund site.

Between the land that is believed to be clean – about 100 acres – and areas where creosote-contaminated soil can be removed, perhaps about 90 acres will continue to be deemed an Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, Superfund site.

Any land within the former Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. treatment plant site that is not marked Superfund will carry a higher value because it will be relieved of the stigma associated with the label, Spalvins said.

It will likely be at least a couple of more years before the land can be placed on the market.

Federal and state agencies continue to research the extent of contamination on and around the site. Everything from surface and subsurface soils, terrestrial sediment, marsh sediment and groundwater is being tested to determine the where and how much creosote contamination lurks on the land.

The dark stain on a white cloth lowered into a monitoring well at the Kerr-McGee site indicates the thickness of the layer of creosote in the groundwater below. Photo: EPA

Creosote is a gummy, tar-like mix of hundreds of chemicals used as a wood preservative.

For decades, logs were coated in creosote, stacked and dried before being loaded onto trains and transported offsite.

The facility included 245 acres of upland and marsh and was in operation under various companies from 1936 through 1974.

The site was added to the National Priorities List of federal Superfund sites in 2010 because of the contamination in groundwater, soil and sediment.

Water samples taken from dozens of monitoring wells drilled in and around the site show creosote has traveled anywhere from 10 feet below the surface to a depth of as much as 90 feet below the surface.

However, continued testing shows that a plume of creosote in the groundwater appears to be in the same area since the plant closed more than 40 years ago, said Richard Elliott, the Multistate Environmental Response Trust project manager of the Superfund site.

“I would describe it as a stable plume at this point,” he said. “It’s not moving toward a source of drinking water or anything like that.”

Water samples from more than 50 wells are taken every six months, the most recent of which were collected Nov. 5.

Federal officials are going to continue testing samples from the 30- to 40-acre marsh on the site.

Within the marsh, an area of about 1 to 3 acres may pose a risk to so-called ecological receptors, which include any living organisms other than humans.

Samples taken in 2016 and again this year show very little impact to the environment, Elliott said. In fact, the test results from those samples show “less toxicity” than the EPA is comfortable with, he said.

The EPA wants to take more time and be sure that findings from those samples are accurate.

“We are going to verify those results with a 28-day toxicity test,” Spalvins said.

The overall goal is to contain, clean up and restore the land so that it may be re-used for the benefit of the town, which is bordered by Sturgeon Creek and Brunswick River.

Residents, with the guidance of federal and state officials, have drafted four redevelopment concepts for the site.

Each concept, though slightly different, includes common themes: a river walk, ferry access, kayak launch, viewing platform and a park with walking and biking trails.

There’s also space for a heritage center, a rice field where visitors could see how the historically significant commodity here is grown, light industrial and commercial use.

Officials fielded Nov. 8 during the quarterly meeting in Navassa Community Center several questions from residents about the time frame in which cleanup may be done.

“I think that we’re trying to move at a pace that’s not so fast that we’re leaving the community behind,” Spalvins said. “At a site like this where we’re trying to balance community input – these are 50-year decisions so we want to be more cautious and formal in how we do that.”

Realistically, he said, the property would go to market at the end of 2020.

The time frame prompted some residents to question funding for the remediation.

Spalvins and Elliott assured them there is enough money to cover the project.

“We have not spent so much money that I’m concerned we’re going to run out of money in the next 10 or 15 years,” Spalvins said.

Elliott said the intent is to have money left over.

“The money in the trust can only be used for remediation,” he said. “If there is money left in the trust it will flow to the other sites in this trust that need money.”

North Carolina’s health goal for GenX in drinking water would drop by one-fifth if state regulators choose to use preliminary data on the compound’s toxicity from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

That newly published data, a reference dose representing a maximum level of daily oral exposure considered unlikely to affect a person’s health over a lifetime, resulted from an EPA assessment of GenX’s toxicity, a draft of which the agency released on Nov. 14.

The assessment also identified specific potential health hazards posed by GenX. Among other things, the liver may be especially susceptible and available data are “suggestive of cancer.”

EPA’s proposed reference dose for GenX is 0.00008 milligrams per kilogram of body weight for daily lifetime exposure. That equates to 80 parts per trillion (ppt), a conversion that simplifies comparisons to the concentration of GenX that North Carolina considers safe in drinking water.

In November 2017, under pressure from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, Chemours stopped discharging its manufacturing-related wastewater.

Last year, the state Department of Health and Human Services, or DHHS, derived its own reference dose of 100 ppt as one of a number of factors used to calculate North Carolina’s interim health goal of 140 ppt in drinking water.

In addition to the reference dose, DHHS also based its calculations on potential risks to a particularly vulnerable human population, infants, and assumed that drinking water would account for one-fifth of total exposure to GenX.

Jamie DeWitt, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at East Carolina University, said, “EPA’s proposal appears to align more closely with the state’s conclusions, though its methodology differed from the state in a number of ways.”

For now, the state will stick with the current health goal, DHHS spokesman Cobey Culton said in an email response.

“The EPA report on GenX toxicity is in draft form and is subject to change after the public comment period. In the interim, we will continue to use our provisional health goal for drinking water of 140 parts per trillion that has been evaluated by the Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board. When the EPA releases its final reference dose, we will revisit our provisional health goal for GenX.”

GenX chemical structure

The EPA will finalize the toxicity assessment following a 60-day window for public comments. The comment period is not yet open.

“While we are in the process of reviewing the draft EPA toxicity assessment for GenX, it is clear from the EPA report that GenX is significantly less hazardous than its predecessor compounds,” said Chemours spokeswoman Lisa Randall.

The EPA’s risk assessment includes a summary of potential health hazards posed by exposure to GenX, based on available animal studies. In particular, the EPA assessment highlighted the liver as vulnerable.

“Overall, the available oral toxicity studies show that the liver is sensitive to GenX chemicals,” according to an EPA fact sheet on the draft assessment. “Animal studies have shown health effects in the kidney, blood, immune system, developing fetus and especially in the liver following oral exposure. The data are suggestive of cancer.”

The 80 ppt reference dose in the draft report is for chronic or lifetime exposure. In addition, the report included a reference dose for subchronic exposure — more than a year but less than a lifetime — of 0.0002 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, or 200 ppt.

The EPA also released a draft risk assessment for perfluorobutane sulfonic acid, or PFBS, another fluorochemical.

Unlike GenX, PFBS “doesn’t appear at high levels in N.C. drinking water intakes,” said Detlef Knappe, an N.C. State professor and one of the researchers who discovered GenX in the Cape Fear River and downstream utilities.

This story is provided courtesy of North Carolina Health News, a website covering health and environmental news in North Carolina. Coastal Review Online is partnering with North Carolina Health News to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

]]>Working Watermen Commission Plan OK’dhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/working-watermen-commission-plan-okd/
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 14:37:06 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33742The Dare County Board of Commissioners approved earlier this month the proposed framework of the recently revived Commission for Working Watermen, opening the door for member appointments to be made.
]]>

The Dare County Board of Commissioners approved the proposed framework of the recently revived Commission for Working Watermen at their Nov. 5 meeting, paving the way for commission member appointments to be made.

The Dare County Commission for Working Watermen originally formed in 2008, but quietly ceased meeting in December of 2012 without formally disbanding. After public comments made by journalist and researcher Susan West at the commissioner’s meeting Aug. 20, interest in reviving the commission was renewed, with Commissioner Steve House signing on to be the point person and county commissioner representative for the endeavor.

House orchestrated a reorganizational meeting in early October, which solicited insight and input from local working watermen and stakeholders on how the “new” commission should be formed. Using this feedback, House presented the proposed commission composition to the board at their November meeting.

“After very lengthy discussions with several individuals, I would like to make a recommendation to set this commission up as a seven-member voting commission with a non-voting science seat,” said House at the board meeting. “(There will also be) a seat for a Dare County Commissioner, a seat for a fish house dealer, a seat for a charter boat captain, and four seats for Dare County, N.C. fishermen with the goal of having representation from Hatteras Island, Roanoke Island, the mainland and the northern beaches.”

The original 2008 commission was comprised of commercial fishermen of specific specialties – such as Ocean Drop Netting, Trawl Boat Industry, Gill Netter / Crabber, and Net Fishermen – but House noted that after talking with members of the commercial fishing community, seats based on specific gear types were not necessarily the best way to proceed.

“I know in the past we’ve had different seats for different types of gear, but in the past few years, commercial fishing has become so regulated that you don’t have a commercial fisherman just doing one specific gear (type) – he has to do three or four other gears just to make a living,” said House.

He also noted that while there was previous discussion about adding a recreational fishermen seat to the seven-member commission, it was ultimately determined that a recreational seat was not directly aligned with the commission’s purpose.

“The objective of this commission is for our Dare County working watermen (to serve) as an advisory council for us as Dare County Commissioners, and to voice their concerns – both praises and objections – to not only our North Carolina (Marine) Fisheries, but to our legislators in Raleigh,” said House. “With that being said, I would like to make a motion that the commission be set up in those capacities.”

The motion was unanimously approved by the board of commissioners, solidifying the new makeup of the Dare County Commission for Working Watermen.

The topic will be revisited again in an upcoming December meeting of the board of commissioners, with recommended appointments potentially being approved by the Dare County Commissioners.

“Now that we have (finalized) how the board will be set up, I have received a few applications, and I will start vetting those,” said House. “In December, I plan on presenting a few recommendations.”

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

]]>Derelict Boats Remain A Local Issue In NChttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/derelict-boats-remain-a-local-issue-in-nc/
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 05:00:12 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33747The N.C. General Assembly has granted certain local governments authority to manage and remove derelict or abandoned vessels in public waters, but there’s no law addressing the problem statewide.]]>

Derelict vessels removed from waters around Beaufort in Carteret County are stored in October by TowBoatUS at Portside Marina in Morehead City. Photo: Town of Beaufort

Coastal towns and counties have addressed on the local level managing navigable waters through ordinances that typically grant authority to remove derelict and abandoned vessels and other debris.

The state does not have a formal program or legislation to regulate the removal or disposal of abandoned and derelict vessels, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s marine debris program, but there are laws allowing for a person to obtain ownership over abandoned vehicles, including vessels.

There is a general statute, 153A-132, that gives coastal-area counties the authority, by ordinance, to prohibit the abandonment of vessels in navigable waters within the county’s ordinance-making jurisdiction, and essentially treat abandoned vessels in the same manner as abandoned and junked cars. The state first granted Dare and Brunswick counties the authority in 2013 to address abandoned vessels. The general statute was amended in 2015 to include all coastal-area counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington.

In 1981, the state General Assembly authorized Beaufort, in Carteret County, to regulate navigable waters within its boundaries. In September of this year, the Beaufort Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance to remove debris from waters in the town’s jurisdiction.

Beaufort Mayor Rett Newton explained that the issue of boater accountability has been ongoing for decades in Beaufort, as well as in other coastal communities, which prompted the town to move forward with its navigable waters ordinance.

“The management of abandoned and derelict vessels, particularly after storms, elimination of gray water and black water discharge, and identification and removal of illegal moorings are some key components of the ordinance,” Newton said in an email response to Coastal Review Online. “This effort is a great first step toward consideration of a more formal — and safe — mooring area and also helps us progress toward the goal of becoming North Carolina’s first publicly-declared Clean Water Coastal Community.”

The ordinance Beaufort commissioners adopted Sept. 24 has “received tremendous support from Beaufort citizens who have frequently seen boats negatively impacting our amazing coastal ecosystems, either drifting up on the Rachel Carson Reserve marsh habitat during a storm or sunk in our waterways,” Newton said. “It is also well-recognized that we have been very fortunate that we have not had a storm push an illegally moored vessel into private and public docks, causing significant damage to the docks and boats that are legally secured to the docks.”

Newton added that the town also received support from the much larger Beaufort boating community that he said abides by established boating laws and regulations.

John Day, Beaufort’s town manager, said that putting this ordinance in place after so many years without regulation meant there was a great deal of accumulated debris, “Everything from fishing gear to illegal moorings, to sunken boats to derelict and abandoned vessels.”

Between approval of the ordinance in late September and Monday morning, 123,958 pounds of debris have been disposed of, mostly from Taylor’s Creek. The total included 11 vessels, seven of which were partially or fully submerged, 34 boat moorings, or unpermitted permanent anchors, and seven car tires.

“We still have one vessel and two large mounds of fishing net to be removed,” Day said, adding that those were expected to be removed next week.

“Fortunately, we were able to begin implementation of the new ordinance with a $67,000 grant from NOAA and a $5,000 contribution from community members to begin the marine debris cleanup effort,” Day said. “We partnered with the Rachel Carson Reserve on the grant, and contracted with TowBoatUS to remove the debris.”

The Beaufort Police Department is responsible for enforcement of the ordinance and has worked closely with TowBoatUS to remove moorings and derelict vessels.

“Beaufort (Police Department) also informed boat owners who were in violation of the ordinance of the new regulations — most complied by moving their boats from the regulated areas. Others relinquished ownership and their boats, which had little or no value, were removed and destroyed,” Day said.

He added that three boats that washed ashore on the Rachel Carson Reserve were removed by the Coast Guard, which also removed all hazardous material, and TowBoatUS towed the vessels to be destroyed.

“Additionally, five boats were slammed into the Duke Marine Lab dock by Florence. Duke paid the town for the removal costs of the boats, and the town exercised its authority under the ordinance to remove and dispose of the boats,” he said.

What has been most surprising about moving forward with the ordinances is the support, Day said. “Unlike many initiatives, I have not encountered any opposition to this effort, only very strong support.”

Wrightsville Beach has in place an ordinance, “Abandoned Vessel Unlawful; Removal Authorized,” which states “A. It shall be unlawful for the registered owner or person entitled to possession of a vessel to cause or allow such vessel to be abandoned as the term is defined herein. B. Upon investigation, the authorized town official may determine that a vessel is an abandoned vessel and order the vessel removed.” The ordinance was passed in October 2002 and amended August 2011.

A boat is partially sunk under a dock at the Duke Marine Lab in Carteret County after Hurricane Florence. Photo: Duke Marine Lab

Wrightsville Beach Town Manager Timothy Owens said that the New Hanover County town rarely had to deal with abandoned and derelict vessels until this year. Owens said he couldn’t explain what changed.

Unoccupied, anchored vessels are more common in the summer months. “The town is looking to strengthen its current ordinances and work with other governmental agencies that may have some jurisdiction,” Owens said.

In the nearly six years Owens has worked for the town, most removals have been voluntary, once the owner was contacted or citations written, he added.

Currituck County Manager Daniel F. Scanlon said that over the past couple of years, Currituck has dealt with about five abandoned vessels.

Currituck’s ordinance was adopted to address enforcement and ultimately the county’s right to mediate the issue and attempt to assess vessel owners, Scanlon said.

“The county does not have the resources to address this issue so we always have to contract the work. In order to address potential abuse — we have had a couple of vessels that have been stripped of identification and either set adrift, sunk, abandoned or simply tied up to private property and left — the vessel has to be a hindrance or danger to navigable waters before the county will engage.”

Scanlon added that some of the challenges have been access, both physical and legal, Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, regulations and possible environmental impairments.

Capt. Mose Highsmith with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said that when the ordinance was enacted 22 vessels were documented and tagged.

He explained that of those vessels, 14 were removed by the owners, three by the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and two by commercial salvage companies. One could not be removed, but was demolished in place by a commercial salvage company to eliminate any hazard to navigation. The remaining two vessels were large shrimp boats that were too costly to remove.

“The current mission of the (Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office) marine patrol, as it relates to abandoned and derelict vessels, is to monitor boats that are discovered at anchor to avoid further abandoned boats,” he said. “This is done daily as part of the normal marine patrol activities.”

There are a handful of situations that would warrant boats to be tagged and monitored: if the boat is anchored or moored in the waterways for 10 days or more; is within 75 feet of another vessel; is aground, capsized, sinking or sunk or in danger of the previous; and if the vessel appears to be neglected and unfit to be used for navigation as intended.

Vessels will also be tagged and monitored when not displaying a Coast Guard-approved anchor light while at anchor after sunset or a valid state registration or Coast Guard-documented number.

Highsmith said that in the year and a half since the ordinance was put in place, the number of abandoned and derelict boats has been substantially reduced.

“The process to get an ordinance enacted and a fully functioning program in place is challenging. There was a substantial financial commitment by the county manager and commissioners to remove a number of boats so that owners were convinced that we were serious. Maintenance of the program, however, is extremely reasonable,” Highsmith said.

“Boat owners are now aware or quickly learn that mooring and leaving boats unattended is no longer an acceptable practice,” he said, adding that communication between vessel owners and maritime law enforcement, including the county sheriff’s office, Marine Fisheries and the Coast Guard, and compliance have greatly improved.

There has been positive response to the ordinance and decrease in vessels in the waterways, Highsmith said. “The boating public has expressed appreciation for the reduction of vessels that create navigation challenges. The citizens with waterfront properties have expressed appreciation (for) the reduction of vessels that create an eyesore to the community. Travelers who use popular anchorages have expressed appreciation for the increased safety and space available for overnight transient vessels and day recreation boaters.”

During hurricanes, owners tend to seek safe harbor for the vessels in a protected anchorage, Highsmith explained, adding that there was an in increase in mooring in the creek adjacent to Fish Factory Road during Florence though most of the vessels moored for the storm were removed immediately after the storm.

“Two vessels remain unattended and we are following the ordinance to monitor and encourage the owners to remove the vessels,” said Highsmith.

The Lockwood Folly River was a safe harbor for many commercial fishing vessels during the storm. All of them were removed and returned to their docks when it was safe to navigate.

“Only one vessel, which was a private cabin vessel, sunk while at its mooring on the side of the river. Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office is in communication with the owner to resolve this situation,” Highsmith said.

He said several steps must be taken before a vessel may be relocated, starting with giving the owner 10 days to respond with a plan to repair or remove the vessel after the boat has been posted as a derelict vessel or a vessel in danger of sinking. The owner then has 20 days to move forward with the plan and complete removal. If there’s no response from the owner or the removal or repair is not completed within 30 days of initial posting, the boat will be tagged and documented as abandoned.

Attempts to contact the owner are made by phone, delivering or posting a notice at the owner’s residence, and certified mail by Brunswick County Sheriff’s office Marine Patrol. If all attempts to contact the owner are unsuccessful, the vessel will be deemed abandoned and sold at public auction. The highest bidder is presented a sheriff’s bill of sale that can be presented to the North Carolina Wildlife Division to enable them to register the vessel.

]]>State Law Dictates Displaced Boat Responsehttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/state-law-dictates-displaced-boat-response/
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 05:00:21 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33703When the Coast Guard and other agencies and contractors responded after Hurricane Florence to the preponderance of storm-tossed and damaged boats, they were restricted by state law in what they could do.]]>

There were hundreds of derelict, abandoned and displaced vessels found in coastal North Carolina waterways after Hurricane Florence, and about half remain where they were found, though the hazardous material was removed.

Seven vessels of the 362 flagged by the U.S. Coast Guard were relocated because the vessels were in environmentally sensitive areas and 126 were moved or handled by the owner or a third party, such as a salvage company or through insurance, according to information provided by state Emergency Management, part of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

The Coast Guard shared with Emergency Management a little more than a week ago the details on the disposition of the 362 vessels, which were assessed by the Emergency Support Function No. 10, or ESF-10, Unified Command, consisting of the Coast Guard as the incident commander, the state Wildlife Resource Commission and the state Department of Environmental Quality.

ESF-10 Oil and Hazardous Materials Response, when activated, provides federal support in response to an actual or potential discharge and uncontrolled release of oil or hazardous materials.

Keith Acree, public information officer with Emergency Management, responded to Coastal Review Online in an email Wednesday, saying that the state determined which vessels were moved. Pollutants were removed from each boat and some were moved to pre-determined locations by the Wildlife Resources Commission and DEQ. Best management practices were monitored and followed for the duration of the operation, he said.

Coast Guard Chief Jeremy Thomas, incident management division supervisor, said in an interview that the ESF-10 mission was successful.

“The Coast Guard did what the state asked it to do … mitigate pollution threats,” he added.

During the ESF-10 mission, the Coast Guard works for the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said, adding the Wildlife Resources Commission did a great deal of work to find the owners of the displaced vessels, though not all could be located.

Acree said that the 362 vessels that were assessed by the ESF-10 Unified Command’s Task Force North, composed of Beaufort, Craven, Hyde and Pamlico counties, which assessed 197 total targets, or vessels, and Task Force South, made up of Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender counties, which assessed 165 total targets.

While no vessels were removed by Task Forth North, Task Force South moved seven vessels from environmentally sensitive areas to less-sensitive areas.

Of the Task Force North’s 197 total targets, no ESF-10 action was taken on 47 vessels, which means these boats were assessed and deemed pre-storm derelicts or no oil or hazardous materials were on board. Oil and hazardous material were removed from another 79 vessels, which were returned to the general area where they were found, as long as the location did not present a hazard to navigation. Owners, salvage or insurance managed the mitigation or removal of 71 vessels, which required no further ESF-10 action.

With the 165 vessels marked by Task Force South, no action was taken for 62 vessels deemed to have been in place before the storm or to have no oil or hazardous material on board. Oil and hazardous materials were removed from 41 vessels and then returned to the general area.

Capt. Christian Gillikin of Atlantic Coast Marine Group during a presentation to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources meeting Nov. 13 in Raleigh recommended an assessment and scope of work for the removal and disposal of the vessels that remained in place after the removal of hazardous materials. He also suggested that owners of state-registered vessels carry liability insurance in an amount sufficient to cover any future expenses related to salvage, recovery and damage from storms, operator error and neglect, to keep state taxpayers from being stuck with the bill.

Gillikin explained that Atlantic Coast Marine Group was a point of contact for the removal of derelict vessels after the hurricane for those that involved ESF-10. He told legislators that during a statewide survey performed by the Coast Guard, that the more than 350 vessels were flagged for hazardous materials response. The Coast Guard affixed red stickers to the vessels found to have hazardous material to notify the party responsible for the boat.

Gillikin estimated that about half of the boats could not be traced back to the owners because some vessels were too damaged to find the information, or their registration numbers were incorrect. Also, sometimes when the proper owner is identified, those individuals are unwilling to take responsibility.

The ESF-10 program does not provide for wreck removal or disposal of vessels deemed an environmental threat, he said. That requires simultaneous implementation of another program, EFS-3, which “activates and develops work priorities in cooperation with state governments to further and complete the cleanup process.”

Gillikin said that under ESF-10 the federal government raises the sunken, damaged or derelict boat after a storm, removes all the hazardous materials and then leaves the wreck for the state to manage the disposal. He gave four examples of vessels that, after removing hazardous materials, were left in place or were sunk again.

“If a vessel was sunk, we used airbags, whatever type of salvage gear we needed, lifted the vessel, all the hazardous materials were removed, and then the vessel was sunk back down,” Gillikin explained.

He said that over the long term, submerged, derelict and abandoned vessels could cause navigation hazards in and around marinas and impact fisheries, cause sea habitat issues, negatively affect public perception of tourism destinations and lead to complaints by nearby homeowners. Vessel decomposition is another long-term environmental effect, he said, using a fiberglass sailboat to illustrate. He said fiberglass will delaminate or fall apart over time.

When Gillikin suggested to the legislators that an assessment be performed at a cost of no more than $50,000, he estimated that about half of the original number of boats remain in waterways.

He said once the assessment has been made of the remaining vessels, a total project cost could be determined. “For example, removal fee would be $395 per foot … if we took an average 32-foot vessel, $395 per foot, would be $12,640.” The total project cost can be more accurately determined after the assessment is completed.

Gillikin said Friday during a follow-up interview that he was waiting to see if funds would be approved by the legislature to move forward with the assessment.

Acree told Coastal Review Online Wednesday that the Unified Command considered implementing ESF-3, “but based on North Carolina law, decided it did not have the authority to remove and dispose of the vessels, which are private property.

“It was their understanding that the legislature has given authority over abandoned vessels to local governments, if those governments decide to pass an ordinance pursuant to NCGS 153A-132(i),” which is called the “Removal and disposal of abandoned and junked motor vehicles; abandoned vessels.”

“Given the decentralized and localized authority for derelict vessels, they believed there were significant legal authority questions related to utilizing ESF-3 by the state,” he said.

Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, a member of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources, said in an interview Wednesday that she was shocked to learn the number of vessels flagged during the statewide survey by the Coast Guard after Florence.

Rep. Pricey Harrison

Harrison, who also has a home in Beaufort, said she’s noticed that derelict and abandoned vessels have been an issue for some time.

She explained that at the meeting Tuesday, the committee supported recommending that boat owners carry liability insurance to help fund ridding the waterways of the debris.

One point that was discussed Tuesday that did concern her, she said, is that boats were not removed but instead were sunk after the hazardous material is removed.

The General Assembly is scheduled to convene Nov. 27 to consider, among other things, hurricane relief and Harrison said the issue may be raised at that time. If not then, the oversight committee will recommend the issue of derelict and abandoned boats be addressed at a later meeting, she said.

]]>NCDOT Awards Contract for Two New Ferrieshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/ncdot-awards-contract-for-two-new-ferries/
Mon, 19 Nov 2018 20:54:06 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33721The state Ferry Division has awarded a Louisiana-based company a contract for the construction of two new river-class vehicle ferries, set to replace the smaller Hatteras-class ferries M/V Kinnakeet and the M/V Chicamacomico.]]>

RALEIGH – The Hatteras-class ferries M/V Kinnakeet and the M/V Chicamacomico will be replaced in 2020 by two new, river-class vehicle ferries, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division announced Monday.

Rendering of new river-class ferry purchased by the N.C. Ferry System. NCDOT image

The Ferry Division has awarded a contract to the Gulf Island Shipyards of Houma, Louisiana, for the construction of the two ferries that will cost a total of $22.85 million.

The vessels will be paid for with money from the Ferry Division’s Vessel Replacement Fund.

The two new ferries, tentatively named the M/V Avon and the M/V Salvo, will carry 40 vehicles each and are scheduled to be delivered in 2020, when the M/V Kinnakeet and the M/V Chicamacomico will be replaced.

“These two new boats, along with the two others already under construction, will both increase our capacity and upgrade our technology,” Ferry Division Director Harold Thomas said in a statement. “The new ferries mark a major step in improving and modernizing the North Carolina Ferry System.”

]]>Holiday Lights Recycling Program to Beginhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/holiday-lights-recycling-program-to-begin/
Mon, 19 Nov 2018 20:51:46 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33710New Hanover County’s Public Library and Environmental Management Department are working for the second year with Keep New Hanover Beautiful to collect holiday lights for recycling.]]>

NEW HANOVER COUNTY – One North Carolina county is offering residents a place to drop off their broken and burned-out holiday lights.

New Hanover County’s Public Library and Environmental Management Department are partnering with Keep New Hanover Beautiful for a second year to recycle holiday lights.

Residents can bring unusable lights to locations around the county to be recycled, with proceeds benefiting Keep New Hanover Beautiful, from Wednesday to Jan. 4, 2019. Lights can be recycled at all four New Hanover County Public Library locations, the county’s mobile HazWagon and Household Hazardous Waste Facility, and the Wrightsville Beach Recycling Center. Each location will have a large blue recycling cart designated for lights.

“We collected more than 1,860 pounds of holiday lights in our first year, and I call that a success,” said Environmental Management Director Joe Suleyman in a statement. “We hope even more residents take advantage of this program in our second year, so we can keep even more holiday lights out of the landfill.”

Learn more

]]>Combating Global Warming with Seaweedhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/combating-global-warming-with-seaweed/
Mon, 19 Nov 2018 20:40:32 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33704Three University of North Carolina Chapel Hill students are cultivating seaweed at a farm in Sea Level to be used as a sustainable alternative to plastic, with the hope to address the increasing effects of climate change.

The team, Eliza Harrison, Lucy Best and Emily Kian, wants to use seaweed as a pollution-reducing resource and as alternatives for plastics and animal feedstock.

The students launched in 2016 the startup called Phyta under the guidance and mentorship of UNC-Chapel Hill and is preparing for their first harvest in the spring, with plans to launch into the next phase of Phyta’s mission.

“Our team gauges seaweed as one of the most abundant and underutilized resources in the world,” Harrison, a senior environmental health sciences major, said in a statement. “We’re growing seaweed and harnessing its social, environmental and nutritional potential.”

To get their business off the ground, the students relied on various campus resources, including CUBE, a service for student and faculty entrepreneurs focused on social change, faculty from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Since its launch in 2016, Phyta has won Carolina’s Hult Prize competition and a regional final in Melbourne, Australia. The team then spent six weeks this summer with 41 other teams from around the world in the Hult Prize’s accelerator program, hosted in a castle outside of London. When the program ended in August, Phyta was selected as a global finalist to compete at the United Nations Headquarters in September.

]]>Students Return to Duke Lab Dormshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/students-return-to-duke-lab-dorms/
Mon, 19 Nov 2018 20:39:38 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33727Duke University Marine Lab announced Monday it has welcomed back 33 undergraduate students residing in four dorms damaged by Hurricane Florence.]]>

“It’s great to be back to normal,” said Duke Marine Lab Director Andy Read. “Our undergraduate students are a central part of our community and it’s great to have them back on the island.”

The students were evacuated on Sept. 11, prior to Florence’s arrival, and spent two weeks on Duke’s main campus in Durham, before returning to their temporary accommodations on the coast when classes resumed at the Marine Lab on Oct. 1, officials said.

Rainwater entered several dorms after the storm caused minor roof damage. Roofs were replaced and repairs are now complete to four dorm buildings.

“Repairs are continuing to other buildings damaged by the storm, but we are now back to being fully operational,” said Read. “We’re thankful for all the hard work by Duke Facilities Management, Marine Lab staff and local contractors to get our students back so soon.”

]]>Cedar Point to Close on Land Deal in 2019https://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/cedar-point-to-close-on-land-deal-in-2019/
Mon, 19 Nov 2018 15:07:37 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33699Town officials in Cedar Point expect to close early next year on the purchase of 56 acres along the White Oak River for conservation purposes and a town park.]]>

CEDAR POINT — Town officials expect to close on the purchase of 56 acres along the White Oak River sometime between late February and early April of next year, according to an email sent Thursday by town clerk Jayne Calhoun.

This graphic shows the 56-acre parcel of land being considered by Cedar Point. Graphic: Contributed

Voters in the Nov. 6 election approved the sale of $2.5 million in general obligation bonds to pay for most of the $2.8 million land deal for the town’s first park. The town will kick in $300,000 from its general fund.

The bond sale could result in a property tax increase of up to 3 cents, from 6.25 cents to 9.25 cents per $100 of assessed value, but officials are working on grants to eliminate or at least reduce that increase.

The bond referendum passed by a margin of more than two-to-one, 523 to 240, but the town is still waiting for official certification of that result by the Carteret County Board of Elections.

Once that is done, sometime between Nov. 16 and Nov. 22, the process for completing the transaction can begin.

According to the email from Ms. Calhoun, the next step is up to the North Carolina Local Government Commission, “which is the organization to which all municipalities must answer when it comes to responsible usage of taxpayer dollars.

“The LGC will present to the town funding options, which could continue to be the bond (sale), or, if the interest rates are more favorable, general financing,” according to the email.

The email adds, “Town staff has been unable to assess the property damage as a result of Hurricane Florence. As such, no public will be allowed to enter the property until such a time as public safety is ensured.

“Hurricane recovery for our town and its citizens has taken precedence.

“There is some personal property remaining on the grounds that is to be removed by the owners prior to closing.”

The purchase from the North Carolina Masons is to include all of the remaining Masonic property off Masonic Avenue, except for the historic Octagon House, which will remain in private ownership but will still be available for town functions.

The town’s plan is to leave most of the scenic and wooded waterfront property in its natural state, but to provide passive recreation opportunities, such as trails and picnic facilities and maybe a kayak launch, plus expansion or improvement of improve an existing pier.

Part of the goal of the purchase is to preserve or improve water quality in the White Oak River by making the land unavailable for development.

Mayor Scott Hatsell has hailed the purchase as a way to secure the property against development, and to provide a place for future generations to enjoy all that the scenic river has to offer.

Adding bacon is one way to doll up macaroni and cheese recipes. Photo: Liz Biro

In the holiday rush to make everyone happy, macaroni and cheese is the great unifier.

Just about everyone loves mac and cheese. It’s among America’s top 10 comfort foods. Kraft sells upwards of a million boxes a day. Crayola even has a crayon hue called “macaroni and cheese.”

And who could stay angry over political and religious debates at the table when a hot, bubbly casserole of creamy, cheesy pasta gets passed around?

Baking dishes full of macaroni and cheese bless many eastern North Carolina Thanksgiving and Christmas tables, but does it belong between traditional roasted turkey, glazed ham and collard greens?

Thirty-five percent of Southeastern households serve mac and cheese as a Thanksgiving side dish, 15 percent more than the rest of the country, opinion poll analysis website FiveThirtyEight found in 2015. That same year, half of the 1,000 people who responded to a Country Crock survey said they wanted to add macaroni and cheese to the holiday lineup.

Thomas Jefferson put macaroni and cheese on the South’s radar. While traveling in Italy, he and his chef and slave James Hemmings encountered pasta mixed with grated parmesan cheese. Jefferson recorded copious notes on pasta making and brought the recipe back to Virginia.

Soon after, Jefferson purchased a mold for making tube-shaped pasta. He also imported macaroni and parmesan cheese. In 1802, Congressman Manasseh Cutler of Massachusetts wrote of “a pie called macaroni” that he ate at one of then-President Jefferson’s White House state dinners.

Jefferson and his fancy guests weren’t the only people eating mac and cheese.

When Charlotte Observer food writer Kathleen Purvis noticed that more blacks than whites considered macaroni and cheese a necessary Thanksgiving dish, she decided to find out why.

The sensation at Jefferson’s table became the purview of black slaves responsible for so many of the South’s signature dishes, Purvis discovered. As Adrian E. Miller, author of “Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time,” told Purvis, “My theory is that enslaved people got this expertise (in making mac and cheese), and it was a special-occasion food back then. Then, after Emancipation, it gets incorporated into the African-American culinary repertoire.”

Macaroni and cheese long predates its American history. Around the 1300s, something called “de lasanis” in Italy meant pasta squares tossed with grated cheese, likely parmesan.

A printed recipe calling for cheddar, béchamel sauce and macaroni showed up in the late 1700s in Britain. In 1824, America’s then-most-influential cookbook, “The Virginia Housewife” by Mary Randolph, included a macaroni and cheese recipe that instructed cooks to layer macaroni, cheese and butter in a pan and bake the combination in a hot oven.

The recipe spread across the U.S. through the rest of the 19th century and into the 20th. Because macaroni and cheese is so decadently rich, fans forget that it has always been a cheap way to fill up on protein and carbohydrates, hence its wide appeal.

Kraft sealed mac ‘n’ cheese’s fate as a low-dollar comfort food when the company introduced a convenient boxed macaroni and cheese kit in 1937. Suddenly, everybody was eating macaroni and cheese.

Americans love boxed mac and cheese, but it can never match homemade versions. The best smothers sauce-grabbing elbow- or shell-shaped pasta in Mornay sauce made with sharp cheddar. The macaroni then gets layered with more shredded cheddar and crowned with a bread crumb crust that gets crispy brown during baking. That’s my opinion, anyway. I’ve met cooks who add egg yolks, swear by processed Velveeta “cheese” or doll up the dish with shrimp, crab or pulled pork. One chef I know likes to slide a sunny-side-up egg on top of brisket-enriched mac and cheese.

The only bad mac and cheese is a dry mac and cheese. In that case, just say “Pass the gravy, please.”

For the Mornay sauce: Place a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pan has heated, add butter. When butter has melted, remove pan from heat and add flour, stirring until well blended. Return pan to heat and cook flour, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat again and whisk in half of the milk. Return pan to the heat and whisk in remaining milk. Drop bay leaf, clove and garlic to the mixture. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce has thickened, stirring often. Whisk in mustard, salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat. Stir ½ cup of sharp cheddar into sauce until melted. Taste sauce for seasoning, adding more salt, mustard or cheese to taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix cooked pasta with Mornay sauce. Pour half of the pasta into a large casserole dish. Top with 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese. Place remaining pasta in the baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese. Sprinkle bread crumbs over casserole. Bake for 15 minutes or until casserole is bubbly.

When it comes to finding the best Thanksgiving (and Friendsgiving) recipes ever, we like to dig into the Coastal Review archives.

The people along North Carolina’s shore have their own way with Thanksgiving. Sure, they serve turkey, stuffing, gravy and pie, but they like to sub in seafood here and there, play around with sweet potatoes that grow so well in the region and add a couple unexpected ultra-rich desserts.

These aren’t just our favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Each one has a story to tell about our coast’s food culture, and that makes for delicious conversation at the Thanksgiving table.

Collards

Cornmeal dumplings and stewed collards. Photo: Liz Biro

Some cooks start by simmering a few ham hocks for a couple hours and then add “a mess of greens” to the pot. Others fry strips of fatback bacon in a big stock pot before adding collards and water. Either way, the monster leaves must be simmered for a couple hours to achieve the tender, dark green, just-bitter greens and an intensely savory broth known down South as “potlikker.” In Carteret County’s Down East communities, folks like to add cornmeal dumplings on top.

Oyster stuffing

Hardly a cook on the North Carolina coast gets through the Thanksgiving season without thinking about oyster stuffing. The name itself evokes visions of plump oysters hidden in a fluffy blend of herbs, breadcrumbs and rich stock, a dish so luxurious it begs a silver dish rather than a place inside the holiday turkey.

Lightning rolls

Some folks along the N.C. coast call them “lightning rolls” or “light bread.” Others say “hot rolls” or “yeast rolls.” No matter the name, these buttery, golden brown yeast rolls baked with a dash of sugar are always a hit, especially for leftover turkey sandwiches.

Pig Pickin’ Cake

Pig pickin cake. Photo: Liz Biro

North Carolina gets credit for the pig pickin’ cake because of the treat’s name and how it perfectly cools the palate after a tangy pulled pork dinner. The sweet mountain is so loved across the state that it has expanded beyond pig pickin’s. When the New York Times in 2014 asked Google to find out which dishes residents of each state searched most often for Thanksgiving, pig pickin’ cake was North Carolina’s No. 1. Cool Whip frosting full of pecans, canned crushed pineapple and instant vanilla pudding covers three vanilla orange cake layers prepared from a boxed mix.

Sweet potato pie

Ten years after Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to establish a settlement at Roanoke Island, England’s John Gerard wrote about the sweet potato in his 1597 “Great Herball,” or “Generall Historie of Plantes,” in which he suggested “that the sweet potato “comforts, strengthens, and nourishes the body.”The perfect sweet potato pie is a balance of creaminess, sweetness and spices against a sturdy, savory crust. The filling is so smooth and flavorful, no ice cream or whipped cream garnish is required.

WILMINGTON — The Army Corps of Engineers’ Wilmington District announced this week that it had completed its required environmental study of Carteret County’s proposed long-term plan for re-nourishing beaches affected by erosion along Bogue Banks.

The Corps said Wednesday it had released the federal record of decision and the permit was issued for the Bogue Banks Master Beach Nourishment Plan, which is described as a comprehensive approach to protect the oceanfront and inlet shorelines. The process included the National Environmental Policy Act review, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act analysis and public interest review of the beach-management plan for the roughly 25-mile barrier island.

Greg Rudolph, Carteret County’s shore protection manager, said approval of the 50-year plan that was in development for about eight years was well timed as officials turn to re-nourishment needs exacerbated by Hurricane Florence in September.

Greg Rudolph

“By having this we are poised to do these post-storm projects,” Rudolph said Friday, noting that after Hurricane Irene caused severe erosion to county beaches in 2011, each beach town needed separate permits and separately identified sources for sand and funding, a process that took two years. That delay won’t be necessary in future storms.

“This way we’ll have the permits in our back pockets,” he said.

Components of the plan include the use of an offshore borrow area for periodic re-nourishment along about 18 miles of beach in Pine Knoll Shores, Salter Path, Indian Beach and Emerald Isle, with potential supplemental re-nourishment along about 5 miles of the strand in Atlantic Beach, if needed. The plan also includes maintenance of the Bogue Inlet ebb tide channel within a “safe box” zone to protect the inlet shoreline of Emerald Isle. The approved plan is Carteret County’s preferred alternative of those described in the final environmental impact statement dated February.

The county’s first project under the plan was to be started this winter, and county officials were set to seek bids around the time Hurricane Florence headed toward the North Carolina coast. The targeted stretch of beach in eastern Emerald Isle and the Salter Path-Indian Beach area was to receive about 910,000 cubic yards of sand, an area that ended up losing about 955,000 cubic yards during Florence.

Bogue Banks beaches lost about 3.6 million cubic yards of sand during Florence, with the 18-mile stretch of beach that includes Pine Knoll Shores west to Emerald Isle losing 3.2 million of the total.

“That’s about three times what we lost in Irene,” Rudolph said, adding that a dump truck holds about 12 cubic yards of sand.

Beach re-nourishment in Carteret County is funded in part through the county’s occupancy tax on hotel and motel rooms and rentals of cottages and condos. Some municipalities also levy special property taxes to fund sand projects. The county is seeking Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement related to beach erosion caused by the storm.

The county Beach Commission decided in the late 2000s to create an island-wide plan for re-nourishment that looks ahead 50 years, identifies in advance all funding and sand sources and negotiates all environmental issues related to re-nourishment.

“This has been the most important thing the Beach Commission has done over the past decade,” Rudolph said.

Because the permit for the project has been issued, the Corps is not seeking comments on the decision, which is posted online.

]]>Legislators Set to Review Storm-Relief Needshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/legislators-set-to-review-storm-relief-needs/
Fri, 16 Nov 2018 05:00:18 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33657State lawmakers are expected to consider another storm-relief spending package, including infrastructure and agriculture assistance, when they convene again after Thanksgiving.]]>

N.C. Legislative Building, Raleigh.

RALEIGH – Legislators are set to reconvene in Raleigh after Thanksgiving as more details are compiled in steadily increasing estimates of the damage from Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael.

The General Assembly, which returns Nov. 27 for a previously scheduled post-election extension of its 2018 regular session, is expected to approve another spending package that would draw from roughly $395 million set aside but not allocated in a one-day session in mid-October. The session could extend into the first week of December.

During the session, the legislature appropriated about $400 million aimed mainly at replenishing state matching funds for federal help, but legislators avoided some of the more controversial and potentially expensive topics under consideration by the legislature and the Cooper administration.

Those include buyout programs for residences, businesses and agriculture operations, moving sewage treatment plants and infrastructure out of floodplains and potentially sweeping changes to waterway debris removal and river basin management.

During a review Tuesday in Raleigh by the Joint Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Environmental Resources, legislators received an update on estimates for farm damages, stream debris removal, derelict boats and the effects on water and wastewater infrastructure and commercial fishing operations.

In a breakdown of what happened at public water and wastewater facilities, Jim Gregson, deputy director of the Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources, said wastewater system bypasses and sanitary sewer outflows dumped nearly 88 million gallons of untreated wastewater into surface waters in the state.

Gregson stressed that much of that water was heavily diluted by the volume of water from the storms, but the spills put the viability of some systems and their ability to weather storms into sharper focus.

Of the 758 water systems in the 58-county area disaster area, 98 had to rely on backup power to continue to function and 20 ran out of water as Hurricane Florence moved into the area.

A week after the storm, 16 systems were still not producing water, six were without power, 28 were operating on backup power and eight reported pressure problems.

Damage to the 474 wastewater treatment plants in the area left 24 systems only partially operational and 15 non-operational a week after the storm.

There were 516 overflows recorded, with major spills at Jacksonville and High Point, Gregson said.

Gregson said that about 3,000 of the state’s 3,300 wastewater lagoons at large-scale livestock operations were in the affected area. Six operations saw discharges because of either full or partial breaches, 32 lagoons were overtopped by floodwaters and 10 lagoons were inundated.

Rising floodwaters that lasted weeks after the storm left some operations flooded for more than three weeks after the storm, Gregson said.

Some legislators said concerns about animal operations were overblown, given the size of the problem with wastewater failures.

Sen. Andy Wells

“Why are we having so much focus on animal facilities, why aren’t we having more focus on wastewater treatment plants?” Sen. Andy Wells, R-Alexander, asked during the meeting.

Wells also asked DEQ officials whether they were allowing state funds to be spent on rebuilding any wastewater treatment plants within the 100-year floodplain.

Kim Colson, DEQ’s director of the Division of Water Infrastructure, said that the top priority was rehabilitation and replacement of aging infrastructure.

“In many cases that aging infrastructure, if it is prone to flooding, will be moved either out of the floodplain or better protected,” he said. Most would be protected and not moved, he added, in part because of Federal Emergency Management Agency rules.

In an interview last month with Coastal Review Online, Grady McCallie, senior policy analyst for the North Carolina Conservation Network, said the environmental group would continue to push for moving large-scale animal operations, including the state’s growing number of poultry operations, out of the floodplain.

“It’s time to get all of the swine and poultry operations out of the 100-year floodplain,” he said.

At the same time, the state needs to push for conversion to better methods for dealing with the waste, he said. That should be a part of any plan as well because some of the operations that were damaged and flooded were outside of the floodplain.

Gov. Roy Cooper has also called for an increase in funding for an ongoing buyout program that’s seen little success in recent years due in part to lack of funding.

Cooper and DEQ Secretary Michael Regan have also pushed for additional funding to move wastewater infrastructure out of floodplains.

Gregson also gave legislators an outline of the growing needs assessment for beach re-nourishment, inlet dredging and flood mitigation in coastal regions.

An ongoing compilation of the costs to re-nourish eroded beaches has reached $290 million and channel dredging costs are estimated at $62 million.

Gregson said local governments are continuing to conduct estimates and are working with FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers to determine funding options.

Agriculture and Aquaculture Support

One of the largest parts of any future recovery package is reimbursement to farmers to cover agricultural losses. The legislature set up the structure for a payment program in last month’s recovery package but didn’t fund it, instead waiting on state Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler to provide additional details on the program.

Troxler told legislators Tuesday that the funds are needed soon, in part to settle with lenders in order to finance next year’s operations. He estimated that the final cost of the recovery package for farmers would be $250 million.

While some of those funds would go to aquaculture operations, coastal legislators on the committee expressed concern that much of the losses in commercial fishing and oyster harvesting won’t be covered.

Steve Murphey

Steve Murphey, director of the Division of Marine Fisheries, said the division was compiling estimates of the losses to commercial fishing and shellfish operations based on trip tickets, but that’s not likely to capture all the losses.

“The total impact is very hard to put a total figure on, but we know it is going to be significant,” Murphey said.

He said the historic, 2013-17 averages for commercial seafood harvests during September was around $10 million. The impact for shellfish leaseholders in public trust waters was roughly $3.5 million.

There’s also a lot of damage to infrastructure, he said.

“There’s a lot of seafood houses out there missing docks. They couldn’t service the boats even if they did go fishing,” Murphey said.

The damage didn’t end after the storm subsided, he added. There’s damage both to the fishing infrastructure and a significant impact on the ecosystems that support the fisheries.

“What we see when this amount of fresh water hits an ecosystem is that it displaces a lot of fish,” Murphey said. “So, if you’re a crabber in Craven County on the Neuse River, you’re not going to have a very good fall because those crabs are already down in the sound somewhere.”

Experience shows that the storms’ effects on fisheries continue into the following years, he said.

Sen. Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, said he would like to see more money allocated for the shellfish industry.

The state has so far allocated $1.6 million for losses to both commercial fishing operations and shellfish harvesters. Cook noted that the amount would be split between the two groups when the loss to the shellfish harvesters alone is estimated at $3.5 million.

“Oysters have had a devastating year,” he said. “Many of these guys lost the whole kit and kaboodle. Is there any way we can adjust this?”

Murphey said if more money is appropriated the funding could be easily “scaled up,” but he agreed that the amount allocated so far would only cover a fraction of the cost.

“Basically $1.6 million would cover the week that they took off to prepare for the storm,” he said.

]]>Dare Towns Look to Manage ‘Mega-Houses’https://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/dare-towns-look-to-manage-mega-houses/
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:15:23 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33642Southern Shores and Duck town councils met last week to address concerns about “mega-houses” and their impact on the character and environment of beach communities.
]]>

As Dare County municipalities try to address concerns about the proliferation of “mega-houses” and their impact on the character and environment of beach communities, the town councils in both Southern Shores and Duck met last week to explore new approaches to the issue.

During a Nov. 7 special meeting called in response to SAGA Construction’s plan to build two 12-bedroom homes on the oceanfront, the Southern Shores Town Council unanimously directed staff to draft a zoning text amendment that would create a residential overlay district encompassing properties east of N.C. 12 and those abutting the highway to the west. The proposal would require stricter development standards in the district based on the size of homes.

Meeting on the same day, the Duck Town Council considered a proposal by the planning board to develop town standards that tie allowable septic capacity to lot size.

They also scheduled for Dec. 5 a public hearing on a draft ordinance that would set a tiered approach to regulating house size based on lot size, with a maximum allowable home size of 7,000 square feet.

In the past, Dare County towns relied on regulating the occupancy and size of rental properties by placing limits on the number of allowable bedrooms. But in 2015, the North Carolina General Assembly prohibited them from doing that. The move left municipalities grappling with how to best control the homes that have become a lucrative part of the resort area’s rental business.

In Southern Shores, town officials last week opted to add an additional layer of regulation in the overlay district, along with the town wide cap of 6,000 square feet of allowable living space that has been in place since 2016. If ultimately adopted by the council, the proposal would place stricter development standards on homes in the overlay district based on size.

For example, homes that are more than 4,000 but less than 6,000 square feet must adhere to a 25 percent lot coverage limit and 28-foot building height, while those that fall below that square footage have a little more leeway, with a 30 percent lot coverage requirement and height limit of 35 feet. The structure of other standards relating to building setbacks, trash receptacles and landscape buffering is similar in nature.

As for parking, all spaces in the overlay district must be 10 by 20 feet and adjacent to a two-way drive aisle that is a minimum of 18 feet wide.

At last week’s Duck Town Council meeting, members considered a recommendation by the Duck Planning Board to regulate occupancy by establishing town standards for the capacity of septic systems based on lot sizes. While not taking action on that plan, they opted to resurrect a proposal that regulates house size based on lot size.

In the end, the council voted 4-1 — with Mayor Don Kingston casting the dissenting vote — to set a public hearing for Dec. 5 in order to give property owners and residents another chance to weigh in on an ordinance that had been the subject of a September public hearing, before the council sent the plan back to the planning board for tweaking.

Under this tiered proposal, lots of 9,999 square feet or less could have a house with a maximum of 3,500 square feet. On the other end of the spectrum, lots of 25,000 or more square feet could have a house that was up to 7,000 square feet. While larger residences would be allowed if higher development standards were met, no dwellings could exceed the overall 7,000-square-foot cap.

Several council members, including Jon Britt, voiced concern over regulating house size as opposed to occupancy and cited that it penalized large lot owners. “That is not why we went down this road,” Britt told fellow council members. “We went down this road because of concern about density and too many bedrooms.”

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Sentinel, a weekly Dare County newspaper that is published in print every Wednesday and headquartered at 2910 South Croatan Highway, Nags Head. Aside from the print paper, the Sentinel also produces a continually updated digital version at www.obsentinel.com.

]]>Ocracoke Express on Track for May Launchhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/ocracoke-express-on-track-for-may-launch/
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:58:29 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33639The new Ocracoke Express passenger ferry is expected to be complete by the end of the year and a public launch is planned for M.ay
]]>

The new Ocracoke Express passenger ferry is expected to be complete by the end of the year and launched in May. Photo: NCDOT Ferry Division Twitter

OCRACOKE — The new Ocracoke Express passenger ferry is coming together, and is expected to be complete by the end of the year, per a recent announcement from the North Carolina Ferry System.

Stakeholders for the new Hatteras/Ocracoke passenger ferry headed to Swansboro Friday to check out the progress of the vessel itself, which is being constructed by contractor U.S. Workboats.

Once it’s complete, the passenger ferry will make a number of trial runs along its route from Hatteras village to Ocracoke village, with paid passenger service expected to officially launch in May.

The new Ocracoke Express will be a 100-passenger, catamaran-style ferry with 96 interior seats, an upper deck with 26 additional seats, two wheelchair tie-downs, 16 bicycle racks, wireless internet access and a concession area. The route will take passengers from the Hatteras ferry docks to Silver Lake Harbor in Ocracoke village and back, in a trip that is estimated to be around 70 minutes each way.

Passenger lounge areas are complete on both sides of the ferry route in Hatteras and Ocracoke villages, and the accompanying public tram service on Ocracoke Island was already tested and temporarily launched to accommodate visitors after Hurricane Florence in September.

“Right now, the trams are ready, the visitor facilities are ready, and we are just waiting on the boat,” said NCDOT Public Relations Officer Tim Haas in an earlier interview.

Learn More

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

]]>Volunteers Needed to Patrol for Sea Turtleshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/volunteers-needed-to-patrol-for-sea-turtles/
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 17:57:51 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33629The Network for Endangered Sea Turtles is hosting a meeting at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ocracoke Community Center for volunteers interested in patrolling for sea turtles washed ashore this fall and winter.]]>

A sea turtle on the South Point beach falls victim to the frigid January cold. Photo: Connie Leinbach

OCRACOKE — The Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, or NEST, is seeking volunteers interested in helping patrol for and transport sea turtles that wash up on the shore during the fall and winter months.

NEST will hold an informational meeting with training at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Ocracoke Community Center.

Established in 1995, NEST is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of sea turtles and other protected marine wildlife on the Outer Banks.

It is committed to contributing to the preservation of these species through research and rescue and rehabilitation efforts and to fostering greater understanding and appreciation of these species and their habitat through education and enhanced public awareness.

The network also rescues and transports sick and injured sea turtles to the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation, or STAR, Center at the Aquarium on Roanoke Island. It has rescued hundreds of turtles stunned by the cold water and stranded in Pamlico Sound.

This story is provided courtesy of the Ocracoke Observer, a newspaper covering Ocracoke island. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Ocracoke Observer to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

]]>Blood Tests Show 4 PFAS, But No GenXhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/blood-tests-show-4-pfas-but-no-genx/
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 05:00:32 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33621The results of blood samples from a health study of Wilmington public water customers revealed four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, but no GenX was detected. ]]>

Thousands of New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender county residents rely on the lower Cape Fear River as their drinking water source. File photo

WILMINGTON – Blood samples taken from more than 300 New Hanover County residents contain man-made chemicals unique to their drinking water source, but GenX is not one of them.

Results of blood tests from a GenX exposure study reveal four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, specific to customers of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, according to the North Carolina State University researchers who conducted the tests.

Detlef Knappe

Their findings, unveiled during a public meeting on the campus of Cape Fear Community College in downtown Wilmington Tuesday night, do not mean GenX is nonexistent in people who drink water sourced from the lower Cape Fear River.

“It means that we didn’t see it above the limit of our method,” said Detlef Knappe, one of the research team’s co-investigators.

The researcher’s method reporting limit was 2 parts per billion of GenX, explained Nadine Kotlarz, a postdoctoral research scholar at N.C. State.

GenX is the commonly used term for perfluoro-2-propoxypropanoic acid, a chemical compound produced to make Teflon, which is used to make nonstick coating surfaces for cookware.

That and other chemical compounds have been released into the Cape Fear River by the Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility since the 1980s.

“GenX was not found in blood even though we did see it in 50 parts per trillion in tap water,” she said.

More Meetings Set

Meetings on the results are also set for 7 p.m. Thursday as part of the New Hanover County NAACP’s monthly meeting at 501 Red Cross St., Wilmington, and at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Port City Community Church, 250 Vision Drive, Wilmington. The Saturday meeting is to be held in Spanish.

What they did find in blood samples are four PFAS that are unique to the lower Cape Fear River.

PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals used in consumer products that can be released into the environment.

In this case, Nafion byproduct 2, PFO4DA and PFO5DoDA, which are types of perfluoro acid, and hydro-eve, a propanoic acid, were found in blood samples collected from 345 participants in November 2017. That was the same month the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, ordered Chemours to stop discharging wastewater with GenX into the river.

“As far as well can tell these PFAS are unique to Wilmington,” Kotlarz said.

The levels of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, found in the GenX study blood samples are higher than the national average.

Levels of PFOA found in blood samples collected throughout the United States have decreased from 5.2 parts per billion in 1999 to 1.5 parts per billion in 2015.

Blood samples collected from New Hanover County residents show the level at 4.4 parts per billion. Samples taken again from 44 participants of the study six months later showed slightly lower levels of PFOAs, but still higher than the national rate.

What this means to the health of the thousands of New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender county residents who rely on the lower Cape Fear as their drinking water source remains unknown.

GenX and other per-fluorinated and polyfluorinated compounds are poorly studied. Little is known about how these chemicals break down in the environment and any associated health risks.

Jane Hoppin, the study’s principal investigator, associate professor in N.C. State’s Department of Biological Sciences and deputy director of the university’s Center for Human Health and the Environment, said there some health outcomes that have been associated with these chemicals.

A study of 45,000 adults exposed to PFOAs from a DuPont and Chemours plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia, showed increases in cholesterol, thyroid disruption, testicular and kidney cancer, and alteration to vaccines.

Jane Hoppin

The GenX study in Wilmington aims to answer what health risks, if any, the PFOAs found in the blood streams of those tested pose.

Blood, urine and tap water samples were collected about a year ago from 345 participants living in the lower Cape Fear River basin. Of those, 56 are children older than 6.

More than half of the participants have lived in Wilmington at least 10 years, Hoppin said.

Lifelong Wilmington resident Sonya Patrick is not one of the study’s participants, but she attended Tuesday’s meeting to hear the results.

Like so many residents here, Patrick is frustrated that so many questions remain unanswered about the exposure of these chemicals to the human body.

“The answers were very vague,” Patrick said after the meeting. “Even though there may not be evidence of (GenX) it doesn’t mean it’s not present. This is people’s health we’re talking about. We still don’t know how this is overall affecting our health. I’m glad at least to know that there is more research that’s going to be done.”

Upcoming tests of urine samples will include measuring thyroid function and lipids.

“We’ll be able to understand more as we move forward,” Hoppin said.

Some residents have taken steps to try and remove the chemicals from their drinking water through filters.

Knappe said that all of the chemical compounds found in the blood samples can be removed from active carbon. He recommended residents follow manufacturing guidelines on replacing active carbon filters, which is typically every six months.

The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority in October 2017 filed a federal lawsuit against Chemours and DuPont, alleging the companies knew the threats posed by the chemicals when it began manufacturing C8 and later replacing that with GenX at its Fayetteville Works site.

The utility alleges Chemours violated the Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation Recovery Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Solid Waste Disposal Act and claims more than $75,000 in damages.

In May, CFPUA’s board of directors authorized treatment enhancements at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant to reduce per-fluorinated compounds, or PFCs, which include GenX, in treated water.

]]>

Grant to Support Harbor Shoreline Workhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/grant-to-support-harbor-shoreline-work/
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 16:52:41 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33613A recently announced $1.1 million grant will go to help two coastal N.C. communities pay for living shoreline projects to address erosion that threatens their harbors.]]>

Atlantic Harbor in Carteret County. File photo

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its partner organizations last week awarded the North Carolina Coastal Federation $1.1 million for work to protect harbor shorelines in two coastal communities.

The Living Shorelines for North Carolina Coastal Communities project is to address erosion problems at Atlantic Harbor in Carteret County and the town shoreline and harbor entrance in Oriental in Pamlico County. The award made through the foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund is to be matched with $997,464 in matching contributions by the federation, Carteret County and the town of Oriental.

Various shoreline-stabilization methods are shown, ranging from “green” living shorelines to hardened structures, shown in gray. Image: NOAA

Through the grant, the federation will work with local contractors to stabilize and protect the eroding shorelines by building living shorelines tailored to each site. Living shorelines are a type of erosion protection that uses plants, stone, sand fill and other materials that allow for natural coastal processes, according to the Living Shoreline Academy. They are an alternative to bulkheads and other hardened structures and they help maintain functions provided by natural shoreline ecosystems. The federation said the living shorelines will also help maintain existing navigation channels, prevent flooding and build marine habitats.

“These living shorelines will protect and restore the shorelines that protect the entrances to these two community harbors,” said Lexia Weaver, a coastal scientist with the federation who is to lead the two projects in partnership with the Atlantic Community Harbor Authority, Carteret County and Oriental town officials. “Living shorelines have proven to be much more effective for erosion control in storms than bulkheads and we’re happy to bring them to Atlantic and Oriental. The harbors are crucial to the communities’ economies and ways of life.”

Atlantic Harbor is the Down East community’s only commercial harbor and its entrance has been eroding at a rate of several feet per year and more during hurricanes, according to the federation.

“This project will go a long way toward protecting Atlantic’s way of life and providing this part of our community with economic stability. It also provides valuable habitat for the fish and other seafood we need to prosper,” said Eugene Foxworth, Carteret County assistant county manager.

Oriental is a sailing destination and the entrance to its harbor, which was also eroding at a rate of several feet per year, is considered a crucial part of town infrastructure. Recent hurricanes, including Florence and Michael, and other major storms accelerated the erosion, which puts at risk the marina and nearly 300 buildings, businesses and residences.

“The Town of Oriental is extremely grateful to Dr. Weaver and her staff for their untiring efforts on our behalf to secure funding to complete the Whittaker Pointe project to protect the residents, businesses, primary nursery waters and our shoreline in an environmentally sensitive way that is the best solution for all,” Diane Miller, Oriental town manager, said in a statement. “We are excited to get moving on the project and look forward to working with all of the partners that have assisted and will continue to work toward the best solution.”

The award is part of $28.9 million in new grants for the restoration or expansion of natural features such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, mangroves, forests, coastal rivers and barrier islands that help minimize effects from storms, rising sea levels and other extreme conditions on nearby communities and infrastructure in 22 states and Puerto Rico. The foundation said the 35 grants will generate $38.3 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $67.2 million.

Learn More

]]>Hundreds of Derelict Boats in Storm’s Wakehttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/hundreds-of-derelict-boats-left-storms-wake/
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 05:00:05 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33594As communities continue to clean up from Hurricane Florence, officials are turning to the problem of derelict and abandoned vessels that sank or washed ashore during the storm.]]>

BEAUFORT – Paula Gillikin, central sites manager for the North Carolina Coastal Reserve, was on hand in late October to monitor a salvage company remove a displaced houseboat that Hurricane Florence had washed from Taylor’s Creek onto the marsh of Rachel Carson Reserve’s Carrot Island.

Paula Gillikin

Gillikin oversees the Rachel Carson Reserve, one of 10 North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve sites, a part of the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, under the state Department of Environmental Quality. The North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve is managed through a federal-state partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the state Division of Coastal Management.

After Hurricane Florence, the U.S. Coast Guard during a statewide survey flagged 383 vessels requiring salvage for hazardous materials response. Over the long term, these vessels can affect fisheries and marine habitats, lead to complaints about wreckage and garbage waste and hurt coastal tourism, according to information presented Tuesday to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources.

The presentation noted the Emergency Support Function 10, or ESF 10 – Oil and Hazardous Materials Response, which provides federal support in response to an actual or potential discharge and uncontrolled release of oil or hazardous materials when activated, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency website.

Legislators in attendance Tuesday agreed with the presenters from Atlantic Coast Marine Group who suggested the state should look into requiring boat owners to carry liability insurance sufficient to cover the state’s cost of salvage and environmental mitigation.

Gillikin, on that brisk Saturday morning in late October while standing watch over the vessel relocation, said that the large-scale salvage company, Resolve Marine Group, had been working with the Coast Guard on vessel removal for the post-Hurricane Florence FEMA-funded effort. She noted the company’s expertise and equipment to protect the environment from pollution threats.

“The company uses what we call a number of environmental best management practices wherever they can,” she said.

The crew from Resolve spent the morning situating large, ship-launching airbags under the houseboat to inflate and then lift the vessel for removal, with the goal to limit further damage to the sensitive habitat.

“We’re making really careful decisions about what we’re doing with vessels,” Gillikin said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Hillard, who spent time with Gillikin on Carrot Island during the salvage operation, explained that the state requested the Coast Guard relocate several vessels that were displaced or sunken in environmentally sensitive areas.

The Coast Guard worked with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, DEQ and other agencies including NOAA, and Resolve to provide federal oversight, personnel and portable work spaces.

A vessel left on a shallow marsh in Atlantic Beach is rigged Oct. 14 to have oily water pumped from its bilge and transferred to a temporary storage container on an environmental workboat staged at a deeper location. Photo: Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Hillard

Sarah Young, public information officer with DEQ, said that of the 10 reserve sites, vessels are most often grounded at the Rachel Carson and Masonboro Island reserves, given the proximity of these sites to heavily used waterways and local anchorages.

“Vessels commonly come ashore at one or both of these sites during storm events, including hurricanes, nor’easters, and king tide events. If vessels are displaced in larger numbers, it is usually associated with a hurricane,” she said.

The burden on state resources varies depending how the vessel was displaced, Young said.

“For example, vessels were removed from the sensitive habitats of reserve sites post-Hurricane Florence primarily through FEMA hurricane response funding for the declared disaster,” she said. “If a vessel is displaced outside of a declared disaster, the state uses more resources, including staff time and sometimes funds to hire a salvage company to remove the vessel if it has officially been abandoned.”

There are several steps that must be taken to have the vessels removed from the reserves.

The reserve first collects information about the vessel and its location, especially if it’s in a sensitive habitat, and often works with municipalities and the Wildlife Resources Commission to find its owners, determine their salvage plans and to advise them that salvage should be conducted to minimize environmental impacts, Young continued.

“If the owner is unresponsive and gives up interest in the vessel, the vessel can eventually be removed from the reserve property if funding resources are available. However, this process can be a long one because the state does not have a specific policy that governs removal, disposal, and dedicated and sustained funding to support such efforts,” she said.

Young explained that the state has granted authority to counties and towns to pass ordinances related to waterways within their enforcement boundaries. “Fortunately, some reserve sites are located within local jurisdictions that have specific ordinances about handling abandoned vessels, which makes the process of removing them more efficient.”

Young added, “Displaced vessels are a management challenge for the reserve sites, as they often damage habitat and can pollute the environment.”

Hillard said that the Coast Guard acted in support of the state, under the ESF 10 mission, “to oversee the mitigation of pollution from those vessels that were sunken or displaced in the disaster-declared counties after Hurricane Florence.”

Salvage technicians make preparations Oct. 19 to temporarily hoist a vessel in New Hanover County so that any environmental threats on board can be removed. Photo: Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Hillard

The mission of ESF 10 is to prevent, minimize or mitigate the release of pollutants and hazardous materials in the environment, which sometimes includes vessel relocations as determined by the state.

As the federal on-scene coordinator for the ESF 10 mission, the Coast Guard supervised the response to pollution threats aboard these vessels, Hillard explained. “In support of the state, the Coast Guard then verified through documentation that the removal of pollutants was complete.”

“Vessels that were actively discharging pollutants such as fuel were, of course, a top priority to be mitigated,” Hillard said.

The state then decides how and when the vessels themselves may be removed if they are not claimed.

Hillard said that the ESF 10 Unified Command, which is made up of state and federal agencies including the Coast Guard, was given up to a $10 million mission assignment through FEMA and has acted in support of the state to mitigate pollution threats, but not to remove debris.

“Salvage is a complex operation and many factors can affect the cost of operations, such as the size of vessel, sensitivity of habitat, amount of pollution on the displaced vessel, ease of access to the vessel, assets available and weather conditions during operations,” he said.

The state may determine certain vessels to be in an environmentally sensitive area and prioritize removal of those vessels if they are unclaimed and cannot be removed by an owner, marina, harbormaster or other government entity, Hillard said. “This is to help ensure that fragile habitats in those environmentally sensitive areas are protected from further damage over time.”

Continue Reading

]]>Book Revives Memories of Nags Head Woodshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/book-revives-memories-of-nags-head-woods/
Tue, 13 Nov 2018 05:00:14 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33560The recently reissued 1987 book, “‘Everyone Helped His Neighbor’: Memories of Nags Head Woods,” by Lu Ann Jones and Amy Glass, brings to life an Outer Banks community that is no more.]]>

An old postcard depicts the “road on sound side, Nags Head, N.C.” Photo courtesy of the authors

Many a beach-going visitor to the Outer Banks has no clue that a rare maritime forest straddles the west side of Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills. But even locals may not know that Nags Head Woods was home to a vibrant community for close to a century.

“‘Everyone Helped His Neighbor”: Memories of Nags Head Woods’ by Lu Ann Jones and Amy Glass, copyright 2018 by University of North Carolina Press, Nature Conservancy.

All that remains today are four family cemeteries, and on a ridge far above Roanoke Sound, footings of long-gone buildings.

But now there is also a newly reissued book “‘Everyone Helped His Neighbor’: Memories of Nags Head Woods,” by Lu Ann Jones and Amy Glass, that restores the history of the tight-knit community to its rightful place in the Outer Banks zeitgeist, told through interviews in the late 1980s with elder folks who grew up under the trees.

“What a privilege it was to do the local history interviews,” Jones told a small audience at a recent discussion and book signing in Nags Head. “I don’t think we knew we were breaking that kind of ground, but we’re very proud to share those voices.”

First published in 1987 by The Nature Conservancy, the nonprofit owner of 1,200-acre Nags Head Woods Preserve, the book, which was re-released in July, includes a new forward and afterword by the authors, as well as a few minor corrections, but otherwise it is the same.

“Amy and I always thought this book had life,” Jones said. “And indeed it does.”

Of the 60 or so people who attended the event, about 40 were descendants of the Nags Head Woods community, Jennifer Gilbreath, Nature Conservancy conservation coordinator and organizer of the event, said in an interview.

“‘Everyone Helped His Neighbor’” was out of print for some time, although it is uncertain for how long, or how many had been originally printed, she said.

“I think it was really important that this project gave Outer Banks people from Nags Head Woods the opportunity to tell their story.”

— Lu Ann Jones

Gilbreath said that a phone call last year from Kill Devil Hills town clerk Mary Quidley asking if the preserve had a copy of the 1987 book had first sparked her curiosity.

As it turned out, the conservancy had no copy, she said, and nor did anyone else.

“I found one on eBay for $50,” Gilbreath said. “It was the only one I could find.”

Intrigued, she kept following the publishing crumbs, and eventually found support from the University of North Carolina Scholarly Press to pursue a new printing. Once she tracked down Jones and Glass, who had remained friends, there was no going back.

As part of the Southern Oral History Program at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Jones and Glass had spent about two intense weeks in 1986 doing in-person interviews with about 10 surviving members of the Woods community, which had once numbered 40 families.

In between the narrative history of the Outer Banks and Nags Head Woods, the 67-page book stitches together historic photographs and long paragraphs of memories and anecdotes quoted from the interviews. By using the interviewees’ own voice, the book chronicles the daily routines of their lives, told in surprisingly vivid detail.

In one example, Evelyn Wise Gray recalled how she caught crabs as a teenager to peddle to “summer people” for good money:

“I’d get up mornings before day, and go lay down on a hill waiting for the soft crabs to come, because I wanted to be the first up … I’d just grab ‘em; I could never do nothing with a dip net. Sneak up on ’em and feel ’em out with my toe and pick ’em up. . . And in the afternoon when I caught all my crabs and got ’em shedded, well, I’d pack ’em in wet grass and go along, ‘Wanna buy some crabs?’ to every house.”

“I think it was really important that this project gave Outer Banks people from Nags Head Woods the opportunity to tell their story,” Jones said in a telephone interview.

Most of the people the young women had spoken with were then in their 60s, with some as old as age 93, and had left the woods in their teen or young adult years. Most interviews were done at the subject’s home and lasted about an hour and a half, although one woman chose to communicate through letters. Each interview was recorded and later transcribed.

When a few clips from interviews were played at the event, the thick Outer Banks brogue of the people speaking sounded as long gone as the days they were reminiscing about.

“I think the stories of the narrators stayed with me for a long time,” said Jones, who is employed as a National Park Service historian. “The people we talked to remain very much alive to us through those stories.”

The women are shown on a buggy in an image of Nags Head Woods from an old postcard. Photo courtesy of the authors

It was a revelation from the interviews, Jones said, to learn that people from Nags Head Woods, and by extension, the Outer Banks, were quite mobile and interconnected, even “cosmopolitan.”

“These people were not isolated,” she said. “In a maritime world, you can go lots of places in a boat.”

Before World War I, the community in Nags Head Woods was vibrant and thriving. At its height, according to the Conservancy website, it had “13 homesites, two churches, a school, a store, farms, a gristmill, and a shingle factory.”

In what could be considered a precursor to the modern Outer Banks’ economy, the Nags Head Wood community was in part an outgrowth of serving the nascent tourism business, “summer people” who started coming in the 1830s to the sound side south of Jockey’s Ridge. History is fuzzy as to when people settled down in the woods, but some of the headstones in the Baum cemetery record deaths in the 1860s.

Compared with the open exposure to the coastal elements of much of the barrier islands, the maritime forest was sheltered by large dunes: Jockey’s Ridge on its south and Run Hill on the north. Most houses were built from timber cut down in the woods or salvaged from shipwrecks, high on a ridge away from the risks of surf and tide.

Men made a living farming and fishing. Women cleaned, cooked and peddled crabs, helped by children who were also expected to do their share of work.

Residents raised chickens, hogs and cows – it was open range until 1937 – gathered nuts, hunted, picked figs and berries, grew gardens, spun yarn, made curtains. For fun, they shared a big Sunday dinner after church, visited with friends and family and built bonfires on the beach.

“For me, this really encapsulates a moment in time, where I was very much embedded in the community.” Glass said, adding that she was impressed by the descriptions of “really back-breaking work” done by both men and women – “all the hauling, all the moving from the ocean side to the sound side.”

The people who were interviewed had grown up on the Outer Banks when the few motor vehicles on the islands traveled on sand roads and nearly everything they had – their buildings, their clothing, their food, their boats – was made or provided by their family or someone in their community. Horses, boats and walking were the means of transportation.

“They were scrappy people,” she said. “They used their resources well.”

But with the two World Wars, change came quickly. Many men left to join the military or work at the shipyards. By the time the last of the Nags Head Woods community moved away in the 1950s, people were traveling everywhere by motor vehicles and airplane and the Outer Banks was at the cusp of an explosion in tourism and development.

Glass, who works in the technical design field, fondly recalled her conversations with the older folks who grew up at such a unique place and time.

“Oh, it was fun,” she said. “The generosity of those narrators – to be willing to spend time with virtual strangers and really tell us in great details their stories, their family histories, and to patiently answer our questions – it’s really a gift to hear from that generation, particularly now because they’re no longer living. “

Compared with today’s distracted culture, Glass said, those folks in Nags Head Woods seemed to have shared more of life’s difficulties and pleasures with their friends and neighbors.

“They were proud of how they lived,” Glass said. “They lived simple lives, as they said, ‘but we were happy.’ That theme really comes through in the book.”

This video includes highlights from the recent book signing for “‘Everyone Helped His Neighbor’: Memories of Nags Head Woods” with authors Amy Glass and Lu Ann Jones and Jennifer Gilbreath, conservation coordinator with the Nature Conservancy. Video: Town of Kill Devil Hills

RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper announced Friday appointments to 55 boards and commissions, including the Marine Fisheries Commission, the North Carolina Emergency Response Commission and North Carolina State Board of Registration for Foresters.

Gov. Roy Cooper

“These appointees go the extra mile in serving North Carolina,” Cooper said in a statement. “I’m thankful for the experience and dedication they will bring to these boards and commissions.”

Garry McCormick of Charlotte was appointed to the North Carolina Emergency Response Commission as a representative affiliated with the production, storage or transportation of hazardous materials. McCormick worked for the Charlotte Fire Department for 30 years and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs, the North Carolina Emergency Management Association, and the National Fire Protection Association.

Registered forester Mark Megalos of Raleigh was appointed to the North Carolina State Board of Registration for Foresters. He is an extension professor for North Carolina State University’s College of Natural Resources.

New members were also appointed to several community college boards of trustees, North Carolina Child Well-Being Transformation Council, North Carolina Real Estate Commission, Structural Pest Control Committee, Task Force for Safer Schools and Statewide Independent Living Council.

Ocracoke’s electric microgrid is serving as a laboratory for how North Carolina can embrace clean energy to become more competitive not only to attract big companies here but also to benefit consumers.

That’s what Michael Regan, secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, said when he toured the Tideland EMC facility in October.

With its combined energy sources from the main power line through the Outer Banks, rooftop solar panels, several Tesla batteries and Ecobee thermostats, the plant on Odd Fellows Lane is providing the knowledge that will lead to both cleaner and more cost-efficient energy, said Lee Ragsdale, senior vice president, grid infrastructure and compliance for the North Carolina Electric Member Cooperative (NCEMC).

NCEMC owns the power plant and Tideland, a nonprofit cooperative based in Pantego, Beaufort County, operates it, said Paul Spruill, Tideland CEO.

Ocracoke’s microgrid is one of two that Regan visited. The other is Butler Farms, a hog farm in Harnett County that has a microgrid powered by solar panels and is harnessing methane from hog waste.

While Ocracoke’s grid is connected to the main grid, it can operate independently.

“The co-ops of North Carolina took this on as an R&D opportunity,” Ragsdale said about Ocracoke’s microgrid. “We wanted to make the investment in these assets so as prices come down we’ll have that working knowledge to apply throughout the state.”

The DEQ is excited about this experiment, Regan told the group of Tideland and NCEMC officials.

“These rural cooperatives are living, learning laboratories,” he said. “Too often we’re hearing about the technological limitations from some of the larger utilities, and so this is a great opportunity for us to come out and see how advanced technology works – how cleaner energy works, how efficient energy works.”

Tideland, he said, is pursuing advanced technology for all of the right reasons.

“And then there’s a huge environmental co-benefit (of a cleaner footprint),” he said.

That environmental co-benefit got more traction on Oct. 29 when Gov. Roy Cooper issued Executive Order No. 80, which calls for the state to protect its environment in the face of climate change while growing clean energy technologies.

“With historic storms lashing our state, we must combat climate change, make our state more resilient and lessen the impact of future natural disasters,” Cooper said in a press release.

Without the pressure of shareholders, who are the focus of the big electrical guys, rural electric co-ops can focus on both customer service and being competitive through innovation, Regan said.

“You are leading the way for North Carolina into this 21st century approach to energy delivery,” he said. “I think that’s pretty remarkable. If North Carolina is to be competitive, it’s going to be the Dukes and Dominions trying to keep pace with what the rural electric co-ops are doing.”

The microgrid does not just include the diesel generator, solar array and Tesla batteries. It also involves customers who use Ecobee thermostats that Tideland has distributed throughout the island.

These devices enable Tideland to control electric delivery during power crises and allow customers to make choices about and understand their own energy use, said Nelle Hotchkiss, senior vice president of the North Carolina Electric Cooperatives, the state trade association.

“We spend a lot of time on the educational side and use labs like these with Ecobees and water heaters as opportunities for consumers so they can make choices, understand their energy use, their appliances and how can they optimize at home,” she told Regan. “Those who have the resources can make those changes, but we won’t disadvantage those who can’t, and co-ops are all about that.”

Regan thought Ocracoke Island is the “perfect petri dish” for this research in reducing the carbon footprint and making energy delivery more efficient and more accessible to all people.

Such future choices will make North Carolina more competitive when recruiting large companies to build here, he said.

“It’s just great to see this level of innovation in Eastern NC in our rural counties,” he said. “All of our solutions are not coming from our urban areas.”

This story is provided courtesy of the Ocracoke Observer, a newspaper covering Ocracoke island. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Ocracoke Observer to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

]]>Brunswick Seeks EPA Loan for H2O Upgradeshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/brunswick-seeks-epa-loan-for-h2o-upgrades/
Fri, 09 Nov 2018 05:00:06 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33541The EPA has selected Brunswick County to apply for a loan program to help pay for $99 million in planned water plant improvements to address GenX and other contaminants.]]>

This site plan show the major facilities that will need to be expanded for the Phase 3 Northwest Water Treatment Plant improvements project in Brunswick County. Image: CDM Smith

Brunswick County plans to fund essentially half of $99 million in water plant upgrades through a loan program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that likely will reduce financing costs by millions of dollars.

EPA announced this month that Brunswick was among 39 applicants nationwide — and the only one in North Carolina — selected to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or WIFIA loans.

GenX chemical structure

The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners in May approved construction of a low-pressure reverse-osmosis, or RO, plant at its Northwest Water Treatment Plant.

That decision followed a study comparing options to remove GenX and other fluorochemicals in the Cape Fear River, source of the plant’s drinking water.

The contamination came to light in June 2017, following media reports that researchers had discovered GenX and a host of similar substances emanating from the Chemours chemical plant on the Bladen-Cumberland county line near Fayetteville.

Chemours officials said the GenX in the river was a byproduct of a manufacturing process that had been ongoing since about 1980.

GenX and other fluorochemicals elude conventional municipal water treatment, so they also turned up in drinking water sourced from the Cape Fear by Brunswick and other utilities serving more than 200,000 people in southeastern North Carolina.

Late last year, under pressure from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Chemours suspended all discharges to the river, capturing its wastewater from off-site disposal.

The state’s investigation also broadened to encompass Chemours’ air emissions, thought to be responsible for contamination that turned up in hundreds of private wells miles from the plant.

Last month, Chemours broke ground on a $100 million project aimed at reducing those emissions to 1 percent or less of 2016 levels.

‘It Will Greatly Benefit the Ratepayers’

The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, or WIKIA, authorizes EPA to provide federal loans or loan guarantees to organizations ranging from corporations and joint ventures to state and municipal governments to fund for drinking and wastewater projects.

A key feature is an interest rate equal to the U.S. Treasury rate at the same maturity: Participants can borrow at the same rate as the federal government. In addition, borrowers can customize repayment schedules, taking as long as 35 years to repay. Brunswick can finance as much as 49 percent of the project cost through the WIKIA program.

Ann Hardy

“The county is looking for opportunities to finance the project at the lowest possible rate for the benefit of our water customers,” Brunswick County Manager Ann Hardy said in an interview Tuesday.

“We’re not only applying for the WIKIA funding. We’re also seeking state revolving funds and any grants that might be available,” she said. “These federal and state programs that we’re able to possibly use to finance the cost of the RO plant will provide us better financing terms, lower interest rates and a cheaper cost structure than going out into the bond market with a revenue bond.”

The county won’t know its rate until the loan is secured, but Hardy said: “Typically, it’s a savings of a percentage (point) or two, maybe more” compared with a revenue bond. Over the life of the loan, that should result in millions of dollars in savings.

While construction and operating expenses may not change, the decreased financing costs should help the county keep rate increases below what they might be otherwise.

“I think it will greatly benefit the ratepayers,” Hardy said.

‘Robust Technology for Unidentified Contaminants’

Brunswick chose reverse osmosis based on a recommendation from engineering and construction firm CDM Smith, which compared options that also included granular activated carbon and ion-exchange media.

The firm’s recommendation, following a pilot test of a scaled-down RO system, stated that reverse osmosis removed more fluorochemicals more consistently than other options.

Components of a reverse osmosis treatment system. Photo: CDM Smith

It also would be effective at removing most 1,4-dioxane, an industrial chemical used in solvents, paint strippers, greases and waxes that is classified by EPA as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.” That contaminant has turned up at relatively high levels in Brunswick’s drinking water in tests conducted in recent years.

CDM Smith also wrote that reverse osmosis “is the most robust technology for protecting against unidentified contaminants.”

Construction of the reverse-osmosis upgrades is estimated to cost $99 million. Annual operations and maintenance are expected to run $2.9 million.

The county already had planned to spend $38 million to expand the plant’s capacity and help fund a second line to convey raw river water to the Northwest plant, which serves about 70,000 customers, including those of other utilities.

The second line not only will provide redundancy in case of a break in the current line and capacity to meet anticipated growth, it also is needed because RO typically uses more water than other treatment methods. Depending on the system, as little as 85 out of each 100 gallons of raw water treated would be available for drinking.

Filtering GenX, Then Discharging It

In addition to securing funding, Brunswick also must apply to discharge wastewater under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, which in North Carolina is administered by DEQ.

That process “began in February and has proceeded with no ‘red flags’ from regulators. Bidding and construction of the project is expected to begin in June of 2019,” the county wrote in its announcement of the expansion.

Raw water is pumped from the Cape Fear River using the Kings Bluff Pump Station, which is north of Lock and Dam No. 1 in Bladen County. Photo: Army Corps of Engineers

John Nichols, Brunswick’s public utilities director, said Tuesday the county plans to submit the application in the next few days.

Those discharges likely will include the fluorochemicals such as GenX removed during treatment.

The current NPDES permit for the Northwest plant states it discharges its wastewater to Hood Creek, part of the Cape Fear River basin.

Coincidentally, although no other water utilities are downstream of Brunswick’s discharge, other municipal treatment plants upriver, which receive wastewater from local manufacturers, are thought to be sources of the 1,4-dioxane contaminating Brunswick’s drinking water.

“(The discharge) can only include what’s being taken out of the river,” Hardy said. “You’re taking out at one point and only putting back in what you take out of the river. You’re not adding anything new to the river.

“Our primary concern is that Chemours stop discharging GenX into the river,” she said. “If they stop, then there’s no GenX to put back in.”

Nichols said county staff has met with regulators a number of times regarding its plans, including the discharge.

“We did not get any negative reaction,” he said. “We asked them if they saw any fatal flaws or major issues, and none came up.”

DEQ did not respond to an email with questions regarding the application and the discharge.

Holding the Polluter Responsible

Brunswick isn’t the only water system looking at multi-million-dollar upgrades to deal with Chemours’ contamination. The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, which provides water to most of New Hanover County’s residents, is moving forward with plans to add granular activated carbon beds to its Sweeney Water Treatment Plant.

CFPUA initially considered RO but set it aside because of concerns about costs, waste-disposal challenges and other considerations.

Sweeney already has ozonation, biofiltration and UV disinfection systems, features found at only a handful of water utilities in North Carolina, and can remove most 1,4-dioxane from water it treats.

For its part, CFPUA has applied to DEQ for a $46.9 million grant to fund its construction.

In addition, Brunswick and CFPUA are suing Chemours for damages they say resulted from the contamination in the Cape Fear River. Each has maintained that, ultimately, Chemours rather than utility customers should pay for whatever measures are needed to remove fluorochemicals from drinking water. Any resolution to those claims, though, likely is years away, longer than officials were willing to wait to address their communities’ drinking water issues.

“First and foremost,” Hardy said, “the county is looking to hold those responsible for placing the chemicals in the river financially responsible. And we’re seeking to recover that through our suit against Chemours.”

Those suits have been combined into a single action. Jim Flechtner, CFPUA executive director, said the utilities are awaiting a ruling on a motion by Chemours to dismiss the suit.

A number of lawsuits claiming damages to area residents also have been consolidated.

]]>National Parks of Eastern NC Hires New Chiefhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/national-parks-of-eastern-nc-hires-new-chief/
Thu, 08 Nov 2018 17:09:45 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33542Tracy A. Ziegler will serve as the new chief of resource management and science for The National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, the organization announced Thursday.]]>

The National Parks of Eastern North Carolina has a new chief of resource management and science.

Tracy A. Ziegler was selected to serve in the position to manage the natural and cultural resource and research programs for Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Moores Creek National Battlefield, and Wright Brothers National Memorial, the five parks that make up the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, the organization announced Thursday.

Ziegler earned her master’s degree from Florida Institute of Technology and and her doctorate from Duke University in Earth and Ocean Sciences. She studied at the Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort and her work included areas around Cape Lookout National Seashore.

In the late 1990s, Ziegler’s National Park Service career began as a seasonal interpretive ranger at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. After attending graduate school, she started at Everglades National Park in 2007 as a fisheries biologist for Florida Bay. She moved to Key West in 2010 to become the fishery biologist for Dry Tortugas National Park, where she successfully implemented the Science Plan for their Research Natural Area. For the past three years, she has been a National Park Service marine ecologist for the Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate in the Water Resource Division, where she coordinated national programs on ocean and coastal issues.

]]>Improved Water Quality Starts at Homehttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/water-quality-starts-at-home/
Thu, 08 Nov 2018 05:00:42 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33517A number of coastal communities are working on plans to reduce the volume of polluted stormwater runoff that can degrade water quality.]]>

Second of two parts

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA – Development is frequently associated with increased impervious land coverage, and that can often lead to more polluted runoff reaching ecologically sensitive streams, rivers and sounds.

Stormwater is retained in a swale, where it can soak into the ground rather than run off into nearby waterways. File photo

Hard surfaces such as pavement, roads, sidewalks and roofs affect water quality because the runoff, instead of soaking into the ground and being taken up by vegetation, quickly flows in greater amounts over the developed landscape and into surface waters, explained Lauren Kolodij, deputy director for the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

This polluted stormwater runoff is often the primary cause of water quality degradation, which results in shellfishing waters failing to meet public health standards and why some coastal towns and counties post swimming advisories after it rains, she said. “About 25 percent of coastal shellfishing waters are polluted with bacteria, and most of the coast is now off-limits to shellfishing and swimming after big rain events.”

The conventional approaches to stormwater management are to quickly collect and move the water off site through ditches and pipes and into coastal waters, Kolodij continued. “Instead we need to look at a community’s potential to collect the rain incrementally throughout a town to utilize areas such as public rights-of-way, public lands. This is called making multiuse of the landscape for stormwater management.”

Rain barrels are one way to harvest rainwater from gutters and reduce runoff. Photo: Jennifer Allen

Kolodij explained that reducing runoff also can help with minor flooding because the volume of rain that collects in one central location is decreased. “During an average or normal rain event, techniques that reduce the volume of runoff such as infiltration systems, rainwater harvesting, diverting downspouts can reduce the amount of rain that collects at one site, thereby reducing localized flooding.” Rainwater harvesting can be done with rain barrels and cisterns.

There are communities in coastal North Carolina that have taken the volume-reduction approach to stormwater and developed watershed restoration plans. Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach through the Bradley Hewletts Creek watershed restoration plan, Cedar Point, Swansboro and Beaufort have plans and Pine Knoll Shores is in the process of reviewing its nonregulatory watershed restoration plan.

The draft plan for Pine Knoll Shores was presented Oct. 26 during a special meeting of the town board of commissioners. The next step in the process is for the board to hear public comments Nov. 14 during the board’s regular meeting and then vote on the final draft during its December meeting.

Sarah Williams, clerk for Pine Knoll Shores and a federation board member, said her interest in having the town pursue a plan began a few years ago when she attended a conference about watersheds in Wrightsville Beach, which was jointly hosted by the Governors South Atlantic Alliance and the federation.

“I learned that there were simple solutions that we could do in town, some even at low costs, to help move water off of the streets and improve water quality at the same time,” Williams said. “I knew it was something that Pine Knoll Shores needed to look into.”

Shortly after the conference, Williams said she worked with Kolodij and students at University of North Carolina Wilmington to draft the plan, which took more than two years.

“We didn’t get to where we are overnight and we can’t reduce levels overnight either. Everyone can help though by doing simple things in their own yard, like having their downspouts go into their yards. The whole idea is to move water to the soil where it can infiltrate,” Williams said.

Swansboro has had in place its watershed restoration plan since Feb. 28, 2017, and have made some progress, even including many aspects from the watershed plan in the town land use plan currently undergoing updates.

Stormwater stands on impervious pavement in August 2017 at Swansboro town hall campus. The town has since retrofitted the parking area to better manage stormwater. Photo: Mark Hibbs

Town Manager Scott Chase said that the town adopted the plan with the goal to make a positive change to the environment.

A great deal of development has taken place over the last 30 years in and around Swansboro and town officials understood how the volume of water moving through the stormwater conveyance system would affect water quality as a result, Chase explained.

“It is expected that further development will occur, so we needed to understand locally what our options were for reversing negative trends related to water quality, even reversing the stormwater clock if possible, by reducing the number of gallons of stormwater entering our system,” he said.

“I predict in the coming years language will be amended in our ordinances that will not only serve as a guide for better development related to water quality but require that development adhere to many of the principles of our watershed plan,” Chase said. “Watershed planning is an important menu item for making our community more resilient to adverse weather and less vulnerable in our low-lying areas.

“Our mindset around capital projects development is making sure we are not adding to the stormwater issues facing our community but improving it,” he added.

Swansboro recognizes that watershed restoration adds value to water-based recreation and tourism, Chase continued. Recreational areas such as Hammocks Beach State Park and the Bogue Sound, which are important habitats for several of species, are within Swansboro watershed areas.

“If we are not doing something to preserve our watersheds, for example reducing stormwater runoff, (it) can result in more frequent water quality impairments,” he said. Adding that water quality impairments can destroy the natural habitat, risking the local economy supported by the natural environment.

The first phase of the Swansboro town hall campus retrofit project included adding 41 permeable parking spaces and a bioretention area that accounts for the impervious surface area on campus. Photo: Jennifer Allen

Since the plan was adopted, the town has received two grants from the Environmental Protection Agency’s 319 grant program and is close to wrapping up the town hall campus retrofit project. The first phase of the project, which is complete, included adding 41 permeable parking spaces and a bioretention area that accounts for the impervious surface area on campus. The town worked with the North Carolina Coastal Federation and Onslow County on the project.

Phase 2 of the project will include the removal of five existing asphalt spaces, relocation of plant material and flag pole, addition of about 34 parking spaces a new access point from West Church Street and a reworking of internal access, according to the town website. A new bioretention area will be added beside the new spaces to retain new and existing stormwater runoff.

Chase said other stormwater control measures are under consideration for the campus because of the EPA 319 funding.

The watershed restoration plan also has helped with flooding.

“Conventional methods for stormwater rely on moving stormwater offsite as quickly as possible. It is effective at deterring onsite flooding but the downstream results can result in an increase in the magnitude and frequency of flooding,” Chase said.

The residents, overall, have reacted positively to the plan.

“We have through our stormwater utility and the restoration plan assisted our residents with a better understanding of how their homes and properties contribute to water quality of the watersheds,” he said. “I believe our residents understand the consequences of polluted waterways, the importance of preserving our natural environment and the negative effects from flooding.”

With the implementation of the town’s stormwater utility, some residents are directing downspouts toward lawns and away from driveways to keep it from flowing directly into nearby bodies of water.

“If all of our residents did such, it would drastically reduce or mitigate flooding for our community,” Chase continued. “Bottom line, if rainwater can be kept on site for longer periods of time it can reduce pollutants that are received by our waterways and reduce the volume of water released into the system thus reducing the potential for flooding.”

Learn More

]]>New Faces Chosen In Some Coastal Districtshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/new-faces-chosen-in-some-coastal-districts/
Wed, 07 Nov 2018 16:41:14 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33509Harper Peterson appears to have edged out Sen. Michael Lee of New Hanover County, as Rep. Bob Steinberg takes outgoing Sen. Bill Cook's place and Bobby Hanig wins the Outer Banks's district House seat.]]>

This year’s retirements, primaries and now the general election means there’ll be a few new faces joining longtime incumbents in the coastal region’s state legislative delegation.

In a night in which Democrats took enough seats in the House to end the GOP supermajority and nearly did the same in the Senate, the closest race was former Wilmington Mayor Harper Peterson’s bid to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Michael Lee of New Hanover County.

Peterson’s razor-thin margin of 36 votes out of 85,847 cast likely means a recount will determine the final result of Senate District 9.

Lee’s colleagues, Sens. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, Norm Sanderson, R-Carteret, and Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, were re-elected by wide margins, while current Rep. Bob Steinberg’s bid to move to the Senate in a redrawn Senate District 1 was somewhat closer.

Steinberg defeated Cole Phelps by less than 5,000 votes out of roughly 75,000 cast in a district that now includes 11 northeastern coastal counties. Democrat Erica Smith, whose new district includes Beaufort and Bertie counties, won her race by a similar margin.

Steinberg replaces Sen. Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, who opted to retire when his home county was moved into Smith’s district after last year’s court-ordered redrawing of some legislative districts.

In the House races, Republican Bobby Hanig, who unseated Rep. Beverly Boswell in the May primary in House District 6, defeated Democrat Tess Judge, taking 55 percent of the vote.

Davis defeated challenger Marcia Morgan by about 1,000 votes and Grange beat Leslie Cohen by roughly 2,000 votes in races that, like the Peterson-Lee contest, focused on GenX and water quality issues. In Cumberland County, where GenX was also a major issue, incumbent Republican Sen. Wesley Meredith was unseated by Democrat Kirk DeViere in race that is also likely headed to a recount.

Since several races appear to be within the margin required for recounts, the exact makeup of the legislature that takes office in January is still a question mark.

Unofficial results show the House margin shifting from the current 75-45 alignment to 67-53. The GOP’s majority in the Senate would drop from 35-15 to 29-21, if results hold.

Democrats hailed the change, saying it gives Gov. Roy Cooper a much stronger hand, particularly in budget negotiations, since veto overrides are no longer guaranteed.

In a joint statement released early Wednesday morning by Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, the Republican leaders said that despite the Democratic pickups Republicans would return to the legislature still holding substantial majorities.

Also on Tuesday, voters approved four of six proposed constitutional amendments that will give the General Assembly the authority to draft Voter ID requirements, strengthen victim’s rights laws, create a constitutional right to hunt and fish and cap the state income tax rate at 7 percent.

Amendments on judicial appointments and restructuring the state elections and ethics oversight board, which were strongly opposed by the state’s five living former governors, were defeated.

In addition to the referenda on the constitutional amendments, voters in the western Carteret County town of Cedar Point approved with nearly 69 percent of the vote a $2.5 million bond referendum to purchase an undeveloped riverfront parcel for a community park. Voters approved the measure 523-240. The $2.8 million, 56-acre tract known as the Masonic property is to be paid for with general obligation bonds and about $300,000 from the town’s general fund as town officials pursue grants, including from the state’s Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The property offers about 3,000 feet of shoreline, half of which is wooded.

Democrats also swept all five statewide judicial races including Anita Earl’s defeat of incumbent Republican Justice Barbara Jackson in a three-way race for the state Supreme Court.

But Republicans can claim victory in the only federal races on the ballot, despite a national trend that moved in the opposite direction.

All 10 GOP congressional candidates and three Democratic candidates won their races leaving the state’s U.S. House delegation split at 10-3. Democrats took back the House, winning more than 30 seats nationwide. Republicans also saw gains in the U.S. Senate, but two races remain too close to call as of Wednesday morning.

Coastal Review Online Editor Mark Hibbs contributed to this report.

]]>Pine Knoll Shores to Vote on Watershed Planhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/pine-knoll-shores-to-vote-on-watershed-plan/
Wed, 07 Nov 2018 05:00:28 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33491Pine Knoll Shores is set to vote next month on a proposed plan to address water quality problems stemming from polluted stormwater runoff.]]>

Flooding is shown at Brock Basin Marina in Pine Knoll Shores during Hurricane Florence. The town is working the North Carolina Coastal Federation, Eastern Carolina Council and University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Environmental Science Department on a watershed restoration plan to address polluted stormwater runoff. Photo: Pine Knoll Shores

First of two parts

PINE KNOLL SHORES – A handful of coastal communities have taken the initiative to protect their water quality by working to mitigate polluted stormwater runoff.

Depending on how the Pine Knoll Shores board of commissioners votes at its regular meeting in December, this Bogue Banks town could be joining Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Cedar Point, Swansboro and Beaufort in adopting watershed restoration plans. A watershed is all areas that drain to a water body, such as a lake, mouth of a river, or ocean.

Pine Knoll Shores has been working with the North Carolina Coastal Federation along with The Eastern Carolina Council and University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Environmental Science Department to develop the draft plan.

Sarah Williams, clerk for Pine Knoll Shores and a member of the federation board, told Coastal Review Online that the town is considering this plan because “Watershed restoration is vital to treat stormwater before it flows directly into the water bodies and (to) improve water quality.”

The town currently has some areas that typically flood during heavy rains, she continued, and a restoration plan will help identify those areas and apply solutions in moving the water.

Pine Knoll Shores pumps standing water caused by Hurricane Florence into golf course ponds and the canal that flows to the ocean. Photo: Brian Kramer

Lauren Kolodij, deputy director for the federation, explained that this watershed restoration plan will provide the town with a framework for how to deal with runoff.

The draft plan is the start of a “multi-year process to implement and maintain, manage and mitigate stormwater runoff pollution” according to the document. The plan includes the nine minimum elements of a watershed management plan the Environmental Protection Agency recommends to qualify for 319 grants. The EPA funds the grant program named after Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, which is administered by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to study and find solutions to impaired water.

“Once the plan is approved by the state they will be eligible to apply for EPA Section 319 funding to reduce runoff,” Kolodij said. “They would not be eligible for this funding without an approved plan.”

The federation worked with project partners to help secure state funding to prepare the watershed restoration plan, she added.

Kolodij added that the federation also partnered with Pine Knoll Shores to secure funding for implementation.

“The federation developed a watershed restoration guidebook for local governments to assist them with a step-by-step guide for developing a watershed restoration plan,” she said. “This plan has been prepared using the steps and focuses on strategies for reducing the volume or runoff within a community to reduce the amount of bacteria and pollution reaching local waters.”

The plan “combines low-cost, high-yield strategies such as community outreach initiatives and targeted retrofit projects aimed at reducing the impact of impervious surface by mimicking natural hydrology to reduce flooding, protect water quality, and provide the community with clean, usable waters,” according to the draft plan that was presented Oct. 26 during a special meeting of the Pine Knoll Shores board of commissioners held in the town hall.

“The overarching goal of this plan is to improve water quality in Pine Knoll Shores watersheds and reduce the amount of permanent shellfish closures in Bogue Sound in general,” Mariko Polk, GIS watershed specialist for the federation and UNCW Center for Marine Science doctoral marine biology student, told the room of more than 50 town staff and officials, members of the public and federation representatives.

She began by saying that a watershed is the highest point in elevation in an area and everything that travels downstream. “So no matter where you live, you’re always going to be in a watershed.”

The key, she continued, is managing what’s going on in the watershed because whatever is uphill is going to run downhill and eventually affect your water quality.

“Particularly in coastal environments,” she said, adding that stormwater runoff is a primary concern when it comes to water quality. “What we’re having is bacteria pollutants entering the system” through stormwater.

Stormwater runoff from heavy rainfalls often lead to closures of shellfishing areas. File photo

Stormwater runoff transports into bodies of water bacteria components it has collected while flowing across impervious surfaces such as roads and roofs. Polk added that as development occurs over time, there is an increase in impervious surfaces, which correlates to an increase in shellfish closures in nearby waters. Closures mean that those waters cannot be used for their intended purposes because the quality is not safe.

“The goal is to essentially turn back the clock of time and go back to a point where the amount of water coming off the land is not as impaired or as large of a volume as it is currently,” she said.

UNCW undergraduate student Evan Hill worked on the geospatial portion of the plan. He told the crowd that Pine Knoll Shores consists of seven watersheds: Marina, Salter Path, North, Shoreline, Bogue Shores, Pine Knoll and Mimosa. Some of these watersheds are shared with neighboring communities.

He echoed Polk that the primary cause of water quality impairments for the area is bacterial. “This is generally caused by water running off the land, entering the water body, depositing a lot of nutrients in the water and causing bacterial growth in it.”

Using a baseline year of 1993, Hill said development, woods and open land changes were studied. After calculating how the surface has changed since that time, he was able to find a rough estimate of how the water discharge has changed over time as well.

The increase in impervious surface and decrease in open and wooded areas has led to a large increase in the total volume of water that’s flowing into the watershed.

The average condition in 1993 was around 201.53 cubic feet per second, which doubled in 2014 to 510 cubic feet per second, he said. That led to determining that the target reduction volume is 0.113 gallons per square feet of water to return to the 1993 level.

For every square foot of impervious coverage, the reduction would need to be as much water that would fit into a soda bottle, he said.

Following Hill, Polk explained that the watershed restoration plan will help implement this goal.

“What that really means is there’s a potential to reduce the amount of flooding and … reduce the amount of bacterial input that are running off the land,” she said. “Our focus is to turn back the clock. So we’re looking at taking what’s going on now and reducing it to the point that we’re back to 1993 levels of runoff.”

In reality, she continued, they are simply trying to reduce the amount of water flowing from the land into water bodies.

With that, Polk said, some action strategies to reach that goal are retrofits on public properties, voluntary retrofits on private properties, track progress and monitor incremental improvement in volume reduction. Examples she provided included a rain garden and pervious pavement.

Rain gardens are a low-cost way to reduce the flow of stormwater runoff. Photo: North Carolina Coastal Federation

The board will take public comments on this proposal during the Nov. 14 town commissioners meeting at 6 p.m. in the town hall. The final plan will go before the board for approval in December. If the board moves forward, the plan will then go to the state for approval in spring 2019. After this step, Pine Knoll Shores will be able apply for 319 funding with the goal to start projects in late 2019 or early 2020.

Williams said after the meeting that “Most residents seem to be excited about the plan and have shown a lot of interest. I think everyone is concerned with the flooding in town and is happy to see us taking steps to mitigate the effects.”

When asked how the watershed restoration plan will help mitigate flooding in Pine Knoll Shores, she said, “I think mitigate is the key word.”

Williams explained that she anticipated once the plan is in motion, there would be less standing water during normal rain events.

It’s important to know that impervious surface coverage such as from paved parking lots, roofs, driveways, curbs, roads and other similar man-made materials in the town has grown exponentially in the last decade and it will take several years to reach the town’s goals, she added.

“By moving this water that otherwise would cause flooding will help to mitigate those larger rain events. Residents may see some standing water in their yards — and that’s OK! We’re letting Mother Nature infiltrate the contaminants before sending it directly to the waterways,” Williams said.

Learn More

]]>Judge: Agency Violated Laws on Red Wolveshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/judge-agency-violated-laws-on-red-wolves/
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 18:49:54 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33486U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle has ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated provisions of the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in rolling back protections of red wolves in eastern North Carolina.]]>

CHAPEL HILL – A federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated provisions of the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in its rollback of protections of red wolves in eastern North Carolina.

A red wolf strolls at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina Chief Judge Terrence W. Boyle also made permanent the court’s Sept. 29, 2016, order stopping the USFWS and private landowners from capturing and killing red wolves without first demonstrating that the wolves are a threat to human safety or the safety of livestock or pets.

The case was brought by the Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Southern Environmental Law Center. In addition to the Fish and Wildlife Service, its acting director Jim Kurth and acting regional director Mike Oetker of the service’s Southeast region were named as defendants.

Boyle found that USFWS’ “argument that their current red wolf management efforts are sufficient and within their discretion fails,” according to the ruling.

Conservation measures that had helped the red wolf population grow from 16 animals in 1987 to more than 130 in 2016 had been abandoned in recent years, advocates said, allowing their numbers to drop to as few as 24 in the wild.

“For four years now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been dismantling one of the most successful predator reintroductions in U.S. history,” said Sierra Weaver, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “The service knows how to protect and recover the red wolf in the wild, but it stopped listening to its scientists and started listening to bureaucrats instead. The law doesn’t allow the agency to just walk away from species conservation, like it did here.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service moved to avoid court action on the lawsuit by proposing a new rule in June to restrict wild red wolves to one National Wildlife Refuge and a bombing range in eastern North Carolina, while allowing the immediate killing of any wolves that live on or wander into nonfederal lands. Previously, these wolves could roam a designated 1.7 million-acre, five-county Red Wolf Recovery Area.

“Rolling back protections is the opposite of what this species needs,” said Kim Wheeler, executive director of the Red Wolf Coalition. “The court’s ruling today makes clear that the USFWS must recommit to red wolf recovery and resume its previously successful management policies and actions.”

Conservationists noted that virtually all of the more than 108,000 public comments on the agency’s proposed rule were opposed. Fewer than 50 comments, including 13 from a real estate developer, supported the proposal to restrict red wolves to federal lands in Dare County.

]]>Hatteras Staff to Discuss New Parking Areahttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/hatteras-staff-to-discuss-new-parking-area/
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 17:27:16 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33473Cape Hatteras National Seashore will discuss during a public meeting Dec. 5 plans for a 50-car beach parking area at the former Buxton Coast Guard Station with a handicapped-accessible boardwalk]]>

CAPE HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHORE — The National Park Service is set to ask the public to review plans for a new beach parking area at the end of Old Lighthouse Road in Buxton.

Dave Hallac

A public meeting on the plans is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. Dec. 5 in the Fessenden Center Annex Building, 47017 Buxton Back Road, Buxton.

Superintendent David Hallac and other National Park Service staff will be available to answer questions at the meeting.

Learn More

]]>Fest to Benefit Oyster Restoration Programhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/fest-to-benefit-oyster-restoration-program/
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 16:25:37 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33466The third annual Hopvember Fest to benefit the North Carolina Coastal Federation oyster restoration program is set for the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 11, in Nags Head.]]>

NAGS HEAD – Bring your oyster knife and appetite for North Carolina beers and oysters to the third annual Hopvember Fest 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Tortuga’s Lie.

All proceeds of the annual beer and oyster festival will benefit the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s local programming to restore oyster reefs.

Hosted by Tortuga’s Lie and Buffalo City Jug Shop, general admission is free. Oysters and beer will be sold separately at the festival.

Oyster shells from the event will be recycled and used in the federation’s oyster restoration projects in the Outer Banks, according to the release. Oyster reefs help prevent shoreline erosion while creating valuable habitat for other fish.

Oyster shell also provide a base for new oysters to attach to and grow on, increasing oyster populations. An adult oyster is capable of filtering up to 50 gallons of water per day.

Those who are interested in attending the annual Hopvember Fest can learn more at nccoast.org/events or by contacting Erin Fleckenstein at 252-473-1607.

Learn More

]]>Alligator River Bridge Renovation Completehttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/alligator-river-bridge-renovation-complete/
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 14:52:21 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33461The $16.7 million, 17-month renovation project on the Alligator River Bridge Tyrrell and Dare counties, which included mechanical repairs to bridge's swing span and new epoxy deck, is now complete.]]>

Alligator River Bridge

EAST LAKE – The Alligator River Bridge in Tyrrell and Dare counties, which has been a vital part of travel to and from the Outer Banks for the last six decades, has recently undergone a major renovation.

The renovations to the 59-year-old bridge were completed last week. The 17-month project came at a cost of $16.7 million, according to an announcement Friday from the state Department of Transportation.

The bridge renovations included a new epoxy deck overlay to prevent water from seeping off the road surface onto the bridge structure underneath, joint replacements, repairs to the concrete superstructure and mechanical and electrical rehabilitation of the bridge’s swing span.

The bridge on U.S. 64 is a route for Outer Banks travelers and storm evacuations. Officials said the renovations were made to ensure that the bridge is safe and operable until a replacement can be built.

]]>Flood Shows Benefits of Conservation Dealhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/flood-shows-benefits-of-conservation-deal/
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 05:00:38 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33451Conservationists say the Coastal Land Trust's purchase earlier this year of about 3,000 acres along the Waccamaw River proved beneficial during Hurricane Florence's flooding.]]>

Paddlers glide between the tree-lined banks of the Waccamaw River. Photo: Christine Ellis

COLUMBUS COUNTY — Earlier this year, nearly 3,000 acres along the Waccamaw River was protected thanks to the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust and a host of conservation partners in an effort initiated by a $1 million court-ordered hog farm pollution settlement from 2012. In the weeks since, environmentalists have had more reasons to be grateful for the preservation work.

Camilla Herlevich

“A month after completing the Waccamaw purchase, Hurricane Florence ravaged the coast, and our preserve was under water,” said Camilla Herlevich, executive director of the Coastal Land Trust. “We know that preserving, reclaiming and restoring our natural wetlands can’t prevent the damages of catastrophic storms like Florence and Michael, but it certainly can lessen the impacts — by spreading rising floodwaters out over larger areas, and by slowing down and filtering floodwaters as they move downstream.”

And that’s what’s happened. The land that was undeveloped had a better ability to mitigate the damages from the storm, said Cara Schildtknecht, the Waccamaw Riverkeeper.

“I was able to visit the northern Waccamaw recently,” she said. “The river levels are getting back to normal and the water chemistry is getting back to normal.”

Cara Schildtknecht

Easing potential storm damage wasn’t the first reason that the area was protected. Perhaps higher on the list, when it isn’t hurricane season, are the many endemic species, unique habitats and critical wetlands of the Waccamaw. It all began with the settlement of a Clean Water Act violation brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina against Freedman Farms and Columbus County hog farmer Barry Freedman, accused of dumping 324,000 gallons of untreated hog waste into a tributary of the Waccamaw in 2007. He pleaded guilty to negligent violation of the law and was ordered to pay the $1 million.

“That was the catalyst. And instead of using that money outright, we leveraged it by working for other grants,” Herlevich said. “You’re in a much better position for many of these grants if you have matching funds.” Project WOW, for Waters of Waccamaw, was years in the making but the end result, completed with the help of a dozen other organizations, has a much larger impact in terms of land saved, she said.

“Since 2013, we utilized the $1 million court award to secure more than $5 million in matching grants,” she said. The thousands of acres include blackwater bottomland hardwood forests, cypress swamps, and 7 miles of Waccamaw River frontage.

“The area has a rare water chemistry and many of the plants and animals that flourish in the Waccamaw are found nowhere else on Earth,” she said. “It’s a treasure chest of natural wonders.”

“What we’re excited about is that it covers so much of the area around the river,” Schildtknecht said.

Although the Waccamaw, which runs about 140 miles across southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina, is considered a clean river, there is a persistent worry about the effect that development can have on water quality. This conservation effort should help, she said, and draw more attention to the river.

Cypress trees in the Waccamaw River. Photo: Coastal Land Trust

“I think in North Carolina, the river doesn’t get a lot of attention. But it is such a beautiful, wild, blackwater river,” she said.

Part of what makes this ecosystem unique is the limestone that underlays the basin. The alkalinity is one reason there’s such a high level of species diversity and endemism. The Waccamaw Basin supports six endemic fishes including the Waccamaw silverside and the ironcolor shiner, several rare mollusks and is a system with 62 documented fish species. Rare plant species include the greenfly orchid, Plymouth gentian and swamp forest beaksedge.

The 3,000 acres is the third of three acquisitions in the area, Herlevich said. The Land Trust also closed on 670 acres in October 2014 and 670 acres in May 2016. The Coastal Land Trust purchased the property managed by Campbell Global, a global investment manager focused on timberland based in Oregon, with offices in Wilmington.

“We were able to work with them in terms of what would be better for conservation and what tracts worked better for their goals,” Herlevich said.

She added that another success of Project WOW is that it joins lands to other conserved properties. These 3,000 acres are located directly across the river from the Columbus County and Juniper Creek Game Lands, which encompass more than 28,000 acres. It also connects to 17,000 acres of The Nature Conservancy’s Green Swamp Preserve, resulting in one of the largest conservation corridors in the state.

“By linking there’s a much bigger protected corridor,” she said. “Bigger is better in terms of habitat, especially for larger animals.” Although smaller tracts of protected land have their place, conservation theory shows that larger animals need more acres to thrive and larger tracts result in less interference with people, she said.

The Coastal Land Trust transferred about a thousand acres of the property to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as an addition to Columbus County Game Lands for public game lands, which will be managed through timber thinning, prescribed fire, and restoration of distinctive remnant forest types to benefit wildlife such as white-tailed deer, wild turkey, wood stork and Swainson’s warbler, according to Brian McRae, land and water access section chief for the commission.

The Coastal Land Trust will retain the remaining 2,000 acres for management as a nature preserve. Herlevich said the organization hopes to restore and preserve stands of Atlantic white cedar and is leasing the property to a hunt club, which will help it maintain and monitor the property.

The Coastal Land Trust secured grants from a total of 12 different funders including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Fred and Alice Stanback, the state’s Environmental Enhancement Grant Program, Open Space Institute, Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, The Conservation Alliance and the Merck Family Fund.

Considering recent hurricanes, Herlevich said the organization plans to continue to conserve this critical area.

“We’d like to protect much more land along the Waccamaw — for wildlife, flood control, and clean water.”

]]>NC’s New Stance On Climate Change, Energyhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/ncs-new-stance-on-climate-change-energy/
Mon, 05 Nov 2018 05:00:06 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33437The governor's remarks last week on climate change and energy policy signaled a stark departure from the state's past direction, but despite continued challenges in the legislature, attitudes may already be changing. ]]>

CARY — The sun was shining and sheep were grazing under the solar panels at the SAS Institute as Gov. Roy Cooper took to the podium to announce an array of initiatives that underlined a change of course on climate change for a state once roundly mocked for defying its existence.

Cooper’s Oct. 29 executive order, signed on the spot right after he delivered his remarks, calls for agencies to integrate climate change mitigation into programs, sets up a new interagency council to address the issue, increases energy and water conservation and use of zero-emission vehicles.

It states unequivocally in its introduction that North Carolina will support the 2015 Paris Climate Accord and sets a statewide goal of reducing greenhouse gasses by 40 percent by 2025.

The governor called on greater cooperation between government and the private sector to build out clean energy infrastructure in North Carolina.

Cooper’s announcement was another example of the sharp change in direction on energy policy from his predecessor, Pat McCrory, who backed onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and declined to take up a climate change strategy. He found a willing partner in avoiding the issue in the General Assembly, where many legislators have been openly skeptical and occasionally hostile to assertions about climate change and rising seas.

On Friday, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality released for public review a draft statewide inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, a detailed accounting of greenhouse gases from human activity in key source categories from 1990 to 2017. The inventory also projects North Carolina’s greenhouse gas emissions out to 2030 based on expected changes in fuel use, land use, population, historical trends and other factors.

Molly Diggins of the North Carolina Sierra Club said the actions Cooper is taking are significant because they are putting state action on climate change back into the public eye at a time of heightened concern and interest driven by repeated natural disasters.

“It’s a breakthrough,” she said. “The governor and his administration have put in place a framework for planning and taking action going forward and that has been missing.”

That renewed conversation is coming at a pivotal moment as the state confronts the combined recovery efforts of multiple storms.

In stop after stop in eastern North Carolina, the governor and other top state officials are stressing that adapting to climate change and hurricane recovery are intertwined.

“With historic storms lashing our state we must combat climate change, make our homes, businesses and infrastructure more resilient and lesson the impact of natural disasters to come,” Cooper said.

In his remarks at SAS, Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan, a Wayne County native who has spent much of the last two months east of Interstate 95, said the state must change the way it considers climate science in its policies.

“Too many North Carolinians are vulnerable to sea level rise, increased flooding and the increased intensity of severe weather events and, as we saw during Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael, so are our roads, our ports, our railways and our water quality,” he said.

“The communities hit the hardest have the most to gain from the transition to a clean energy economy and a more resilient infrastructure investment in North Carolina.”

In an interview afterward, Regan, who took over a department that had scrubbed climate science from its website, said as DEQ moves forward on policies and regulations it can’t avoid the realities of rising seas, stronger storms and changing floodplains.

“What you’ll see from this administration in the policies that we’ll put forth is an accurate characterization of what the science is telling us,” he said. That includes a hard look at sea level rise. DEQ, he said, “is taking into account the science and the data that are leading us to better understand and quantify the significant impacts from sea level rise.”

Among the items in the executive order is a mandate for state agencies to evaluate the impacts of climate change on programs and operations and integrate mitigation and adaptation practices into them.

Cooper told reporters that the strategy means more buyouts and funding for adding freeboard to homes and businesses in floodplains and a focus on infrastructure resilience that includes fixes for flooding on I-40 and I-95 and reducing failures at wastewater treatment facilities.

The plan does not include any specific funding or policy request of the General Assembly. Cooper said those will come, but he wanted to jump-start the effort.

“There are a lot of things that we are going to be able to do even without General Assembly or congressional action, but we certainly will have a legislative agenda as we move forward.”

The administration outlined a $1.5 billion Hurricane Florence recovery plan in early October based on a damage estimate of $13 billion. That amount has jumped significantly, and a new estimate released last week puts the new total at $17 billion. Damage estimates for Tropical Storm Michael, which was bearing down on the state as the Florence plan was released, have yet to be released.

Last month, the General Assembly approved $400 million in appropriations for a new Hurricane Florence Disaster Recovery Fund and set aside $395 million for another round of future spending. With the legislature scheduled to return Nov. 27, further appropriations could be approved this year, but the bulk of recovery funding is likely to come in next year’s regular session, which opens in early January.

So too are the debates on policy changes in the wake of the disaster, which legislators have been reluctant to take on so far this year. The list already includes controversial changes to floodplain management and further mitigation requirements for public water systems, large-scale hog and poultry operations and coal ash basins. With the new executive order, Cooper has indicated that he will also make energy policy and greenhouse gas reduction a focus.

Both Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said they were interested in seeing concrete proposals, particularly on energy policy.

Legislators have struggled to find a balance between traditional power producers and the state’s growing demand for renewable energy. Compromise legislation passed in 2017 after a breakdown in talks between stakeholder groups included both long-sought reforms supported by solar advocates and a moratorium on wind energy projects.

Berger said any changes to energy policy have to make economic sense.

“While arbitrary platitudes might satisfy far-left donors, our state’s energy policies have to account for the real costs they impose on the public,” Berger said. “I support an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes renewables, but I don’t support programs that have minimal positive impact and can only sustain themselves with taxpayer and ratepayer money from those who can least afford it. The key is to find solutions that actually work in the private market, and I’m open to any and all ideas that help get us there.”

Moore said he approves of steps in the governor’s plans to improve energy efficiency in state government but cautioned that major energy policy changes will require bipartisan support.

“State officials should do everything in our power to increase the efficiency of government buildings and motor fleets to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and the environment, so I’m open to reviewing specific strategies and proposals that would achieve those goals on behalf of North Carolinians,” Moore said in a statement to Coastal Review Online. “Effective energy reform requires bipartisan cooperation, like the Competitive Energy Solutions Act passed by the state legislature and signed by the governor in 2017, so we must continue to work together towards other commonsense reforms that secure a sustainable and affordable future to benefit North Carolina families and businesses.”

Rep. Chuck McGrady

Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, one of the main budget writers for the House and a clean energy advocate, said he believes attitudes are changing among his colleagues.

“After hurricanes Matthew, Florence and Michael, I suspect lots of people are beginning to wonder whether climate change is something that needs to be addressed,” he said. “It is too soon to say whether constituents’ concerns might cause legislators to reconsider their views on climate change. However, there has been much more attention paid to the resilience issue in the most recent disaster relief package relating to Florence than was evident when addressing Hurricane Matthew disaster relief.”

McGrady said he wasn’t surprised to see Cooper’s announcement and agreed that the state needs a strategy for climate change.

“Governor Cooper was simply honoring a commitment to address climate change,” he said “The McCrory Administration had no plans to address climate change, but Cooper said his administration would be different. Since I believe North Carolina needs to plan for climate change, particularly sea rise, I’m supportive of setting greenhouse gas reduction goals.”

Diggins said it’s clear that intensity and frequency of the storms in North Carolina has had an impact on the public debate, but translating that into changes in policy won’t come easy.

“It’s made it a little harder to take a position that we don’t need to be concerned about changes in our climate,” she said. “Whether time passes and that feeling goes away we don’t know yet. Whether or not there will be sufficient changes either in representation or attitude in the legislature remains to be seen.”

]]>Cooper Requests Federal Help for Fisherieshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/cooper-requests-federal-help-for-fisheries/
Fri, 02 Nov 2018 20:29:29 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33429Gov. Roy Cooper this week requested that the U.S. Department of Commerce provide resources and funding to help North Carolina fisheries affected by Hurricane Florence.]]>

RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper is working to secure federal help for North Carolina fisheries, his office announced Friday.

Cooper Thursday in a letter to Secretary Wilbur Ross asked the U.S. Department of Commerce to declare a federal fishery resources disaster, because of the damage caused by Hurricane Florence. Declaring a federal fishery resource disaster can assist with long-term relief for families that rely on recreational and commercial fisheries.

Gov. Roy Cooper

“This was the storm of a lifetime for many coastal communities. The damaging economic impact to the state’s fisheries was, and continues to be, significant. While state appropriations will begin to afford some limited initial relief, much more is needed,” Cooper wrote in the letter.

According to the state Division of Marine Fisheries, commercial fishing generated over $96 million in revenue in 2017, supporting hundreds of jobs and strengthening local economies.

“Federal fisheries disaster assistance can provide the means to a longer-term recovery that North Carolinian fishermen so desperately need,” Gov. Cooper wrote.

Last month, Cooper recommended that state legislators appropriate $12 million to help state fisheries with disaster recovery. The legislature funded $1.6 million of that request to the Division of Marine Fisheries, which will compensate commercial fishermen and shellfish harvesters for equipment and income loss.

The devastating impacts of Hurricane Florence to residents and businesses in eastern North Carolina remind us of just how vulnerable the state is to severe storms and flooding. Hurricane Florence produced torrential rains causing severe flooding that breached levees, closed major roads and inundated entire communities. Thousands of homes in the eastern part of the state were destroyed.

A disc golf course, left, and dog park, right, were created by the city of Rocky Mount on lands purchased as part of a floodplain buyout. Photos from the study

Unfortunately, many of those impacts were felt most acutely in the regions of the state that were still in the process of recovering from Hurricane Matthew, which struck in October 2016. Many of the homes that flooded from Florence had also flooded from Matthew and some of these same homes had even flooded before during Hurricanes Fran and Floyd in the late 1990s.

To reduce the risks of future flooding, communities across the state have been acquiring and removing the most vulnerable homes from the floodplain. These acquisitions, known as buyouts, are funded primarily by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). Since the 1990s, FEMA has funded the acquisition of over 50,000 homes, including some 5,000 homes in North Carolina.

By removing homes from harm’s way, buyouts can permanently reduce a community’s vulnerability to flooding.

Homes that are acquired with FEMA funds must be removed or demolished and the land protected in perpetuity as open space. By removing homes from harm’s way, buyouts can permanently reduce a community’s vulnerability to flooding. However, buyouts also can reduce the local tax base and stick local governments with the bill for maintaining the now-vacant properties. Since buyouts are strictly voluntary, not all eligible homeowners participate, thus limiting the use of the acquired lands. The most common use of buyout lands is vacant lots. Although some communities, such as Charlotte and Rocky Mount, have created parks, community gardens and greenways.

In response to Hurricane Matthew, over the last year we have been leading a team of researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill to study and identify ways to improve floodplain buyouts in North Carolina.

The goals of the study were to estimate the net financial impacts of buyouts on local governments in North Carolina and to explore the factors that might motivate people to participate in a buyout.

The project examined the impact of buyouts in eight communities: Charlotte, Greenville, Kinston, Lumberton, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Seven Springs and Windsor. These communities vary in size from Seven Springs (pop. 110) to Charlotte (pop. 842,051). As part of the study we met with local officials, created GIS maps of buyout areas, and collected financial data to estimate the loss of tax base and the costs associated with maintaining the buyout properties.

Researchers selected eight communities in North Carolina that either had implemented a buyout following Hurricane Fran in 1996 or Floyd in 1999 or were in the process of implementing a buyout following Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Map from the study

We also tried to estimate the savings, or avoided losses, that the buyouts will provide during future floods. What expenses will the community not incur because the acquired homes will no longer be there to flood?

Our research findings suggest the financial impact of a buyout varies by community and depends on a number of factors, including:

The spatial pattern of the buyout. For example, many buyouts resemble a checkerboard, with vacant homes interspersed among occupied houses. With this pattern of acquisition, most communities simply plant grass on the vacant lots and mow regularly. This can be costly, with few environmental benefits.

Future use of the property. Some communities have created a community amenity, such as a park, out of the acquired lands. Others simply lease the isolated, vacant lots to adjacent landowners. The spatial pattern of the buyout largely determines what the community can do with the land afterwards.

Where people go. If buyout participants leave the community, then the community suffers a loss of tax base. In many cases, participants are able to find replacement housing within the community. Everyone benefits if communities can quickly help buyout participants find local and non-flood prone housing.

What costs get reimbursed. Federal and state grants often cover the bulk of local expenses during buyouts if they are in response to

State or federally-declared disasters. In cases where flooding is localized, local governments can be made to foot much more of the bill.

Our final report contains a number of recommendations, including the need to develop incentives at the state level that allow for efficient and complete buyouts rather than a scattershot approach. Importantly, policies and funding should support participants in the buyout to relocate to affordable housing as close as possible to their existing community (and in areas that are not prone to flooding).

As state lawmakers and state agency officials begin the long process of helping communities recover from Hurricane Florence, improving the flood plain buyout process offers an opportunity to make the state more resilient for future storms and protect residents in vulnerable areas.

Learn More

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review Online welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues. See our guidelines for submitting guest columns. The opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review Online or the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

Temporary housing is now available for survivors displaced by Hurricane Florence in Bladen, Lenoir and Pamlico counties. Photo: FEMA

RALEIGH – The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday that at the state’s request it will provide temporary housing units to households displaced by Hurricane Florence in three additional counties: Bladen, Lenoir and Pamlico.

FEMA said it is already providing Direct Temporary Housing Assistance in 10 counties: Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Duplin, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender and Robeson. The agency offers two forms of direct housing assistance: travel trailers as an interim solution for most households with a high degree of confidence that repairs to their home can be completed in less than a year and manufactured housing units that provide a longer-term solution for survivors whose repairs will take longer to complete due to greater degree of damage.

Direct housing is temporary, FEMA said. These units are not permanent dwellings. They are provided only when rental resources are not available in an affected area.

Survivors who are displaced from their home because of Hurricane Florence must first apply for federal disaster assistance to be considered for FEMA programs such as rental assistance, grants for repairs to make their homes safe, sanitary and functional, and other forms of assistance.

The state and FEMA are coordinating with municipalities and counties regarding local ordinances, permitting, zoning, transportation requirements, setbacks, utility connections and inspections. When installation is complete and the unit passes an occupancy inspection, it is ready for use. At that point, the applicant will sign a license-in agreement to occupy the unit.

After survivors register for federal disaster assistance, FEMA contacts households that may qualify for a travel trailer or manufactured housing units to conduct a pre-placement interview to determine whether the applicant needs direct housing and, if so, what type of housing. This determination is based on the size and needs of the household, including any people with disabilities or other access or functional needs.

For eligible applicants, FEMA may be able to place a unit on their property. FEMA must ensure the site is compliant with applicable building codes, environmental laws and floodplain regulations. If that is not possible, FEMA may lease pads in commercial parks.

Learn More

]]>Stein, Other AGs Urge EPA on Power Planhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/11/stein-other-ags-urge-epa-on-power-plan/
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 18:29:51 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33419In comments filed with Environmental Protection Agency, N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein and his counterparts in other states contend that the proposed replacement for the Clean Power Plan is riddled with inaccuracies, errors and flaws.
]]>

RALEIGH – North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced Thursday that he is joining his counterparts from 17 other states as well as the District of Columbia and numerous cities and counties to urge the Environmental Protection Agency to keep the Clean Power Plan.

Josh Stein

In comments filed with EPA, Stein and his colleagues contend that the proposed replacement for the nationwide limits on climate change pollution from existing fossil-fueled power plants is filled with factual inaccuracies, analytical errors and legal flaws.

The attorneys general and others point to EPA’s analysis, which finds the replacement proposal would increase emissions of climate change pollution and other harmful pollutants from power plants.

The Clean Power Plan requires cuts in the emissions of climate change pollution from fossil fuel-burning power plants under the Clean Air Act. The plan, along with the companion rule applicable to new, modified, and reconstructed power plants, would set limits on the amount of climate change pollution that power plants can emit.

In addition to Stein, the comments were filed by the attorneys general of New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency, the District of Columbia, and the cities of Boulder, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and South Miami along with Broward County, Florida.

“We must not stick our heads in the sand,” Stein said in a statement. “Climate change is happening and it will affect us all. We simply must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ensure that our planet does not overheat and bring devastating consequences to our children and grandchildren.”

From 1936 to 1974, Kerr-McGee and other companies used the 245-acre site for creosote-based wood treating, which is bounded by the Brunswick River, Sturgeon Creek, a residential area and a light industrial area.

The soil, sediment and groundwater are contaminated by creosote-related chemicals. Officials say site contamination does not currently threaten people living and working near the site.

The site was conveyed to Tronox in 2005 a Kerr-McGee spinoff that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009. In 2011, the Multistate Trust acquired the site as a court-appointed trustee as part of the Tronox bankruptcy settlement. The Multistate Trust is working with its beneficiaries—EPA and NCDEQ—on the site investigation, remediation and redevelopment planning.

RALEIGH − State Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board officials are asking the public for input on a draft indoor action level report from a study of trichloroethylene, or TCE.

A clear, colorless liquid with a sweet odor that evaporates quickly, TCE is used as a solvent, an intermediate for refrigerant manufacture and as a spotting agent in dry cleaning facilities, according the Environmental Protection Agency.

This image shows possible routes of exposure to TCE, including workplace, closed military and industrial sites, as well as movement through air, soil, and groundwater. Image: NIH

A carcinogenic to humans, TCE can, depending on the level of exposure, affect the developing fetus and cause health concerns including irritation of the respiratory system and skin, lightheadedness, drowsiness and headaches. Repeated or prolonged exposure to TCE has been associated with effects in the liver, kidneys, immune system and central nervous system.

The report was distributed and reviewed during the advisory board’s Oct. 22 meeting and is available for public comment through Nov. 21. Comments may be submitted by email to comments.sabreport@ncdenr.gov, or by mail to N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, Attn: Louise Hughes, 1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1601.

The draft report is the culmination of research and deliberations by the board, which provides guidance to the state departments of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services as the agencies work to address emerging compounds statewide, according to the release Wednesday from the state Department of Environmental Quality.

The Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board includes 16 members that represent academic institutions and the public and private sectors. The board assists the Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Health and Human Services by providing guidance on how to manage emerging compounds to better protect public health and the environment.

KITTY HAWK — Despite the Outer Banks’ disproportionately large contribution in fishing license fees, some say the region has been shorted its share of artificial fishing reefs, compared with the rest of the North Carolina coast.

Outer Banks Anglers Club president Alan Buchfuhrer said recently that Dare County anglers pay the second highest amount of recreational fishing license fees in the state, about $1 million annually, behind Wake County, and it sells twice as many licenses as the second-ranked coastal county, Carteret.

But the anglers club is looking forward to approval within months of a permit that will allow construction of a new recreational fishing reef off Oregon Inlet – a welcomed benefit of their license fees.

“Basically, a lot of these projects are driven by an advocacy group,” Jason Peters, North Carolina Marine Fisheries enhancement program supervisor, explained Monday at an Anglers Club meeting in Kitty Hawk. “Historically, we haven’t had the advocacy up here.”

Nearly three years after the 115-member nonprofit group first formed the Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee to apply for funds from the state Division of Marine Fisheries, it has a $887,000 grant in hand for a proposed two-year project to construct a reef south of the Oregon Inlet sea buoy.

“You captains will probably benefit from this resource more than anyone else,” Richard Parker, chairman of the reef committee, said to charter boat captains in the packed meeting room at the Hilton Garden Inn. “It’s a tremendous asset.”

The artificial reef, known as AR-165, is planned to be built from a combination of a large, sunken vessel and reinforced concrete pipes. Paid for by the state Coastal Recreational Fishing License Grants Program in addition to $20,000 in matching funds donated by TW’s Bait & Tackle, Manteo Marine and Southern Bank, the reef will be built within state waters 8 miles south of Oregon Inlet.

Parker said that somehow the availability of CRFL grants was missed on the Outer Banks, but as soon as he read about them a few years ago, he pulled the committee together.

“I retired, and I had more time on my hands,” he said after the meeting.

Of a total of 68 artificial reefs along the North Carolina coast, 43 are in ocean and 25 are in the estuary, said Jordan Byrum, artificial reef coordinator. A state Marine Fisheries Reef Guide map that illustrates locations of reefs and oyster sanctuaries in five regions – Estuarine, Outer Banks, Raleigh Bay, Onslow Bay and Long Bay – shows the highest numbers of reefs in the Onslow Bay region.

Once an area is identified as a potential reef site, he said, determination is made whether it is suitable, and if so, the permitting process – which involves about 13 different agencies – is started.

The required Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, major permit has been approved for AR-165. After a second permit from the Army Corps of Engineers is issued, which could take six months or more, the project can start.

In his presentation, Byrum explained that reefs enhance recreational fishing and diving – the program’s objective – by providing a safe place for oyster and fish larvae to grow, and for larger fish to find food.

The 10-year-old program designates $500,000 a year to a region on a rotating basis. Next up on the list for reef funding is Ocracoke, he said.

Although the Outer Banks has been late in getting in the reef rotation, Byrum said, it is also getting a bonus no other area is receiving.

Once the old Bonner Bridge is demolished next year, about 80,000 tons of material will be deposited by the contractor at each of four deteriorated reefs located between 2.5 miles and 4 miles off the beach. Marked AR-130, -140 and -145, located northeast of the inlet, each will receive 15 percent of the debris, and AR-160, south of the inlet in state waters, will receive 55 percent.

And since the bridge contractor is responsible to get rid of the demolition debris, they’re more than happy to dispose of the material for free at the reefs.

“You guys are getting the most money for AR-165, and you’re getting the bridge material,” Byrum said. “These reefs are going to be chock-full.”

According to the Anglers Club, construction of AR-165 will involve sinking a 100-foot to 140-foot ship and dumping a total of 8,000 tons of assorted concrete pipe from barges over two years.

After the underwater structures are in place, fish waste no time making use of them, Peters said. Whether they’re attracted by sounds, movement or smell, they’ll often show up within hours, even minutes.

“We’re expecting that there will be a much more enhanced area for people to fish,” he said.

RALEIGH — Hurricane Florence caused an estimated $17 billion in damage, per new information from the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management.

That number is up from a previous estimate of $13 billion, according to a release Wednesday from the governor’s office. The updated figure is based on new data from the North Carolina Department of Insurance and damage estimates may continue to change. Future updated figures will be based on actual inspection data as it becomes available.

“Six weeks ago, Hurricane Florence’s powerful storm surges, winds and rains brought unprecedented devastation to our state, causing an estimated $17 billion in damage,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement. “I’ve spent time since then visiting with families, businesses and local officials in the impacted area and it’s clear that we have to recover smarter and stronger to better withstand future storms.”

Recovery efforts in the state continue. To date, more than 130,000 people have registered with Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, for individual assistance. Over $108 million in individual assistance has been approved for homeowners and renters. Small Business Administration loans have also been approved for nearly 400 hurricane-affected small businesses.

Hurricane Florence damage is historic compared to previous storms that have hit the state. Hurricane Matthew caused $4.8 billion in damages and when adjusted for inflation, Hurricane Floyd caused between $7 and $9.4 billion in damages, meaning that Florence has caused more damage than Matthew and Floyd combined, according to the release.

Residents of any county with damage to their home caused by Hurricane Florence are encouraged to begin the FEMA registration process by calling 800-621-FEMA to register via telephone or at disasterassistance.gov.

Learn More

]]>Topsail Towns Discuss Florence’s Lessonshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/10/topsail-towns-discuss-florences-lessons/
Wed, 31 Oct 2018 04:00:56 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33327Officials from Topsail Island’s three towns gathered last week to hear the advice of a coastal engineering expert, talk shoreline protection and confer on their long road to recovery from Hurricane Florence.
]]>

The wall of sandbags in North Topsail Beach block the waves Sept. 13 as Hurricane Florence neared landfall. Photo: North Topsail Beach

SNEADS FERRY – With each post-hurricane recovery there are at least a couple of things that are a given – there are some things to be learned and some things will remain the same.

Left in the wake of Hurricane Florence in Topsail Island’s three towns are mangled and destroyed public walkways and dunes, shoreline erosion, the fields of debris washed ashore that had to be collected and carted away, hundreds of damaged homes and lost revenue from rental closures.

It adds up to a hefty price tag, one the Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Commission is collectively working to recoup at least some of which from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

“One of the things is to remember,” said Spencer Rogers. “You’ve dealt with this before. You can do it again.”

Spencer Rogers

The coastal engineering expert with North Carolina Sea Grant spoke at a commission meeting last week in North Topsail Beach’s temporary town hall at the end of a small strip mall off N.C. 172 in Sneads Ferry.

He reminded commission members and a small audience at last Thursday’s meeting that the island has, in the last 25 years, recovered from the likes of Hurricane Fran – a Category 3 storm that in 1996 damaged three-quarters of the structures on the island and destroyed more than 300 homes.

Three years later, Hurricane Floyd, a Category 2 hurricane, dumped nearly 20 inches of rain in some areas of North Carolina, causing catastrophic flooding inland.

An average of more than 17.5 inches of rain fell over North Carolina from Hurricane Florence.

When an escarped dune topples naturally, vegetation on the top of the dune will fall with the collapsed sand. This allows the vegetation to stabilize at the dune’s base and grow, fortifying the dune.

Pushing sand from the beach berm back to a damaged dune line isn’t necessarily the best idea, Rogers said.

“The farther landward you can build your dunes the more protection you’ll get out of it.”

— Spencer Rogers, North Carolina Sea Grant

He referred to a study that showed dunes recovered after sand was pushed against them from a seaward location and will grow toward the ocean. That seaward-growing movement places the base of the dune closer to the ocean, making it even more susceptible to wave damage during a storm.

“The farther landward you can build your dunes the more protection you’ll get out of it,” Rogers said.

Sand ripped from the dunes during the storm will likely wash back ashore as time passes. How much of that sand the ocean will return is uncertain, but, there have been cases following some storms in which 100 percent of the sand was transported back onto the beach, Rogers said.

He also advised the commission, whose members include elected officials from each of the island’s towns as well as representatives from Onslow and Pender counties, to plan for better vehicle access ramps onto the beach.

Low, flat vehicle access areas allow water to easily wash through the dune line, pushing flood water and heaps of sand onto beach roads and into private yards.

Rogers said the best rule of thumb is to build vehicle access ramps at the same elevation as public accesses to the beach – no lower than 3 feet from the dunes around it.

Overall, Rogers suggested the towns look at ways to most efficiently use hurricane recovery funds.

“What you’ve got to do is convince (FEMA) you’ve got a better way to spend their money,” he said.

Town officials know the wait for any federal reimbursement for storm damage could be lengthy. They’re aware they may have to push harder to retrieve money as disaster-declared areas of Florida, where parts of the western panhandle were obliterated by Hurricane Michael earlier this month, continue its long road to recovery.

“The impacts are great, and the process is slow,” said Topsail Beach Town Manager Mike Rose.

“The impacts are great, and the process is slow.”

— Mike Rose, Topsail Beach town manager

He said that Topsail Beach is “closer” to receiving a permit for its next beach re-nourishment project, originally planned for November 2019. Town officials will discuss what options they have, including whether to try to push the project before the fall of next year.

“It at least opens up the possibility of options as we go through,” Rose said.

Both Surf City and North Topsail Beach were forced to move their town hall operations to temporary facilities after the storm.

Surf City’s town hall has been condemned and town officials are in the process of looking for a new location, said Town Manager Ashley Loftis.

Hauling equipment has been moved onto the beach and crews have begun loading and hauling debris. They are beginning at the north end of town and moving south toward the pier. A staging site will be located at… https://t.co/1osoy6cixz

Sand continues to be sifted off private properties and placed back on the beach, she said, and only a handful of beach accesses are open. Piles of debris gathered after the storm on the town’s shoreline will be removed by Nov. 9.

North Topsail’s town hall, located near the foot of the causeway that connects the island’s north end to the mainland, will cost an estimated $500,000 to upwards of $1 million in repairs, Town Manager Bryan Chadwick said.

More than 850 structures received minor damage from the storm and nearly 80 sustained heavy damage, he said. A debris-removal company has hauled away about 64,000 cubic yards of storm-related refuse.

The town is looking at about $15 million to $20 million in dune repairs.

North Topsail’s Mayor Dan Tuman suggested including the topic of sea walls as possible options to future beach armament.

He referred to the town’s permitted sandbag revetment, a super-sized wall of sandbags some 45 feet wide and 20 feet tall, to stave off chronic erosion at New River Inlet. The bags are permitted through 2022.

“Our dunes really took a beating,” he said. “One thing that didn’t take a beating was our sandbag revetment. It did just fine.”

]]>New Walking Trail in Works for Ocracokehttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/10/new-walking-trail-in-works-for-ocracoke/
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 18:40:50 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33344Ocracoke Wetlands Preserve Nature Walk between the Community Park ballfield at the end of Maurice Ballance Road and Loop Shack Hill is expected to begin in mid to late 2020.]]>

Schematic of the proposed new trail from the Ocracoke ballfield to Loop Shack Hill.

Reprinted from the Ocracoke Observer

OCRACOKE — Thanks to a partnership between the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, Ocracoke Community Park and the National Park Service, Ocracoke residents and visitors will have a new walking trail and attraction.

Work on the $300,000 project, Ocracoke Wetlands Preserve Nature Walk, traversing the marsh between the Community Park Ballfield at the end of Maurice Ballance Road and Loop Shack Hill, is expected to begin in mid to late 2020.

When complete, the walkway will allow all to experience the delicate marsh environment and give more exposure to Loop Shack Hill.

After the Ocracoke Preservation Society donated a 24-acre tract of land adjacent to the ballfield to the Land Trust in 2015, the trust and the Community Park board of directors immediately envisioned a raised walkway in this area.

Then, Ed Norvell, co-chair of the project’s capital campaign, suggested linking the walkway to the Loop Shack Hill area, an important piece of World War II history.

Loop Shack Hill is the site of a secret World War II exercise to train U.S. Navy Beach Jump­ers. After it was declassified, the late Earl O’Neal Jr. obtained a memorial marker in 2009 on N.C. 12.

The National Park Service plans to construct a parking area across the road from the monument.

David E. Hallac, Cape Hatteras National Seashore superintendent, was on board at the outset, said Greg Honeycutt, project co-chair.

“I’m thrilled to be working with the Coastal Land Trust and Ocracoke community on this wonderful project,” Hallac said. “A coastal marsh trail that leads to Cape Hatteras Seashore lands will allow visitors to learn about the island’s rich World War II history.”

The park service also will provide some interpretive signage.

The trust likes that the project will open this area for public use and environmental education.

“There is broad-based enthusiasm and public support as people realize what a valuable resource this area is,” said Lee Leidy, Land Trust Northeast Regional director. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”

The total project cost is about $300,000, and the Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board in April granted the project $50,000 in seed money. The trust later asked the board for another $100,000 for future maintenance.

“Occupancy Tax monies are a vital resource for this project, as they will allow for somewhat of an endowment of reserve funds for maintenance and enhancement down the road,” Honeycutt said.

A proposed nature trail from Ocracoke Community Ballfield will connect to the Navy Beach Jumpers monument on N.C. 12 just outside the north end of Ocracoke. Photo: Ocracoke Preservation Society

The remainder will be sought through private fundraising and grants. To date, about $45,000 has been pledged, he said.

The walkway material will be the same as that of the lifeguard beach walkway, requiring less maintenance in the saltwater environment and having minimal impact on the marsh.

Since the proposed location is included in the Areas of Environmental Concern set forth by the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, the Coastal Area Management Act regulations ensure protection of the delicate marsh.

“We don’t have the CAMA permit yet,” Leidy said. “We’d like all funding to be in place first before we apply for the necessary permits.”

Honeycutt noted islanders’ approval of the project.

“Getting the public involved as much as possible and making this a desired attraction on Ocracoke are important goals of the project,” he said.

Individuals and businesses can become sponsors of the benches and signage.

Campaign packets for cash, bench or sign sponsors are available by calling Honeycutt at 252-207-1305.

This story by Rita Thiel is provided courtesy of the Ocracoke Observer, a newspaper covering Ocracoke island. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Ocracoke Observer to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.

]]>Daisey Explains Water Quality Protectionhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/10/daisey-explains-water-quality-protection/
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 17:40:33 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33331Ann Daisey, community conservationist, explains in this video produced by Dare County how Dare Soil and Water Conservation District works to helps businesses, public and private landowners and municipalities with natural resource management, specifically water quality issues and the services offered.

Districts works with county, state and federal governments and both public and private organizations to protect and enhance water and soil quality.

Soil and water conservation districts and their governing boards of supervisors were formed nationwide based on enabling legislation passed by Congress that grew out of the devastating Dust Bowl and other critical conservation problems of the 1930s.

In a non-regulatory capacity, districts carry out a comprehensive conservation program that protects and improves the county’s natural resources while assisting private landowners in using conservation practices. This partnership addresses serious problems across the state including soil erosion, flood damage and water quality problems.

]]>Park Service Warns Visitors of Escarpmentshttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/10/park-service-warns-visitors-of-escarpments/
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 17:09:00 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33338Cape Hatteras National Seashore visitors should be careful along sections of beach on Bodie Island and between Salvo and Avon where onshore wave action has created escarpments, naturally-occurring cliffs.
]]>

The escarpment between ramps 2 and 4 on Friday. Photo: National Park Service

The National Park Service is advising visitors to Cape Hatteras National Seashore to be careful along sections of beach on Bodie Island and between Salvo and Avon where onshore wave action has created naturally-occurring cliffs.

Known as escarpments, they most recently appeared between ramp 2 at Coquina Beach and ramp 4 at Oregon Inlet, and at ramp 25 near Little Kinnikeet on northern Hatteras Island, according to the Seashore’s weekly Cape Chronicle newsletter.

Wide gaps form in sandbars, known as a slough, which allowed high energy waves to run farther up the beach and start quickly chewing at the dune line.

Lunar tides were also above normal this past week due to the full moon.

The escarpments usually take care of themselves over time, with extended periods of offshore winds and lighter swells. But that likely won’t happen until spring.

Daily updates are available on beach access and rip current forecasts for Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

]]>Town Voters to Decide on Land Buy for Parkhttps://www.coastalreview.org/2018/10/town-voters-to-decide-on-land-buy-for-park/
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 04:00:53 +0000https://www.coastalreview.org/?p=33304Voters in the western Carteret County town of Cedar Point will decide whether a 56-acre tract on the White Oak River will be purchased for a park and spared from development.]]>

A sign promoting the bond referendum is posted at the gates to the 56-acre Cedar Point property in Carteret County that’s proposed for a town park. Photo: Mark Hibbs

CEDAR POINT – Town residents have a choice on the ballot between a proposed town park that could require a tax increase or the possibility of 56 acres of waterfront property being developed and the effects that could have on water quality in the White Oak River.

On the Nov. 6 ballot for voters in this western Carteret County town is a bond referendum for $2.5 million to purchase what many here know as the Masonic property. The adjacent 1855 Octagon House and the roughly 4 acres around the landmark are privately owned and not part of the town’s purchase, according to town officials.

If the referendum passes, there could be a 3-cent tax increase per $100 valuation from the current 6.25 cents.

The question on the ballot for Cedar Point residents reads, “Shall the order authorizing $2,500,000 general obligation bonds of the Town of Cedar Point for financing, in part, the acquisition of land in the Town to be used as a public park be approved?”

The impetus behind the bond referendum was the town’s stated desire to increase recreational opportunities and preserve water quality.

Christopher Seaberg, town administrator for Cedar Point, explained that the mayor and commissioners have been looking for recreation possibilities since the 2013 adoption of the Cedar Point Strategic Economic Development Plan, which listed recreation opportunities as one of the four goals for the town to pursue in its economic development strategy.

Shown are the boundaries of 56-acre parcel of land in Cedar Point proposed for a town park and, at the bottom, the separate parcel that includes the Octagon House. Graphic: Contributed

He added that Cedar Point has partnered with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, North Carolina Department of Transportation, University of North Carolina and East Carolina University on various water quality projects intended to help improve the White Oak River.

“With those two focuses in mind, the Town of Cedar Point negotiated a purchase contract with Jones Masonic Campus, Inc. in the amount of $2,800,000 for this parcel. This purchase is intended to 1. Provide our citizens with a much needed town park and 2. Ensure that 56 acres of property fronted by the White Oak River is preserved and not impacting the water quality of the river,” Seaberg wrote in an email last week.

At one time, the property was planned for an assisted-living facility after its owner, the late John Jones donated it with restrictions on its use to the Masonic Lodge in 1999.

Seaberg detailed for Coastal Review Online the town’s finances and how the purchase would affect its budget. The town typically operates an annual budget of $650,000 to $700,000, so the purchase would require the town to incur debt at a level that would necessitate an estimated 3 cent tax increase, “at the most,” Seaberg explained.

“Please note that Cedar Point has historically kept its tax rate at a conservative level, currently at 6.25 cents per $100 assessed value.” He said that compared to other municipalities in the area, Cedar Point’s property tax rate is the lowest.

Area 2018-19 Property Tax Rates Per $100 Assessed Value

• Atlantic Beach: 16.5 cents

• Beaufort: 41.35 cents

• Cape Carteret: 21.25 cents

• Cedar Point: 6.25 cents

• Emerald Isle: 15.5 cents

• Indian Beach: 22.5 cents

• Morehead City: 35 cents

• Newport: 35.7 cents

• Pine Knoll Shores: 19.7 cents

• Swansboro: 35 cents

“So, with that focus, the mayor and board of commissioners felt it imperative to ask the citizens to weigh in on this project and the potential tax increase,” he said.

Town commissioners, during the July 24 meeting, held a public hearing on the bond referendum. A few in attendance spoke in favor, according to the meeting minutes, although resident Sue Ross expressed concerns about the duration of the potential tax increase. She asked whether taxes would return to the current rate once the debt was repaid.

Mayor Scott Hatsell explained during the meeting that the tax increase may not be necessary if the town secures grants in the amount needed to purchase the land. Ultimately, commissioners unanimously approved the resolution to hold the referendum.

Cedar Point already has two parks within its town limits, but neither are owned or managed by the town. Western Park at 275 Old Highway 58 is owned and operated by Carteret County Parks and Recreation, and the Cedar Point Recreation Area at Forest Route 153A is owned and operated by the U.S. Forest Service.

“If approved, this acquisition will be the first town-owned park,” Seaberg said of the parcel that features more than 1,500 feet of open waterfront and an additional 1,500 feet of shoreline encompassed by woods. “There are plenty of opportunities for the town to provide recreation options and festivals for its citizens at this location.”

Town officials are pursuing various available funding opportunities but some grant application deadlines, including the one for the next round of Clean Water Management Trust Fund awards, are not until next year.

“With the bond vote being held in November 2018, we are unable to ensure our citizens that these grant funds are in hand,” Seaberg said.

If voters approve the referendum, the town will combine about $300,000 from its general fund with the $2.5 million bond to cover the $2.8 million purchase price and associated legal fees.

Seaberg said the town has $10,000 in donations that will help offset the initial work involved in the purchase.

Most of the feedback on the plan has been positive, but not everyone agrees, he said.

“The negative feedback received have been focused on the potential tax increase. If the voters approve this request, the average taxpayer’s bill will only increase $90. That increase is the equivalent to $1.73 a week – the cost of a 20-ounce soda,” he said.

Of the total 56 acres, 18 acres are wetlands, which may be ideal for a nature trail, wildlife outlook or other recreational activities that won’t disturb the natural habitat. In addition to its natural features, the parcel has historic interest town officials seek to preserve. There is evidence that early Native American civilizations lived here, it was the site of a Civil War encampment and hospital and the family who lived on the property were among the founding members of Cedar Point and surrounding towns, according to the town website.

At the SAS Institute’s solar farm, Cooper signed Executive Order No. 80 that calls for the state to protect its environment while growing clean energy technologies. The order also creates the North Carolina Climate Change Interagency Council that will include representatives from every state cabinet agency to follow through with the effort.

“A strong clean energy economy combats climate change while creating good jobs and a healthy environment,” said Cooper in a statement. “With historic storms lashing our state, we must combat climate change, make our state more resilient and lessen the impact of future natural disasters.”

The order affirms North Carolina’s commitment to reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, according to the release. The order also calls for an increase in registered, zero-emission vehicles, or ZEVs, in North Carolina to at least 80,000 and a 40 percent reduction in energy consumption in state-owned buildings.

The order also directs the following actions:

The state Department of Environmental Quality will develop a North Carolina Clean Energy Plan to encourage the use of clean energy, including wind, solar, energy efficiency and energy storage.

The state Department of Transportation will develop a plan to accelerate the use of zero-emission vehicles across state government. Cabinet agencies will prioritize the use of ZEVs for trips that can reasonably be made with a ZEV.

The state Department of Commerce will support the expansion of clean energy businesses and service providers, clean technology investment, and companies with a commitment to procuring renewable energy.

All cabinet agencies will integrate climate mitigation and resiliency planning into their policies, programs and operations.

WILMINGTON — Spots are still available for a Nov. 6 workshop where area decision makers can learn about the online resources the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers.

Set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cape Fear Community College, participants will be have a hands-on experience with various tools, including the Sea Level Rise Viewer and the Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper. Participants can also discover the wealth of resources available through NOAA’s Digital Coast.

Led by staff from NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, the fee to cover lunch and computer lab rental is $25 and can be paid by checks made payable to “NC Division of Coastal Management.” Mail to NCNERR, 101 Pivers Island Road, Beaufort N.C. 28516. Payment will be refunded if registration is canceled by Oct. 30.